Moving On and Healing
by XxSweet MitsukaixX
Summary: Sequel to 'Lost, Found and Lost Again'. It's hard to move on when there are people out there who want to make your life worse than it already is ... or is it as simple as the troubles of one's own heart? TalaxKai
1. The Start of Saying Goodbye

Hi everyone!! The long awaited first chapter of the sequel for 'Lost, Found and Lost Again' is finally here!!!!

**Note: **Please read 'Lost, Found and Lost Again' before reading this, as it will make your life so much more easier.

**Warning: **Yaoi and angst.

**Disclaimer: **I have stated this in each and every one of my fics!!! I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE!!!!!

Anyway, on to the fic!

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Chapter One: The Start of Saying Goodbye

Kai watched the slow, steady procession with sullen crimson eyes that had experienced too much over the last few weeks; had seen things that he had never wished to see, and never should have seen in his entire eighteen years if life, all of which had had the most traumatic impact on him. He was just one person in a sea of grief-stricken mourners, all gathered together at an occasion none of them had ever wanted to experience and witness so soon in life. A few stray tears escaped his eyes, trailing ever so slowly down porcelain cheeks; bruised from the encounter that had eventually led up to this grievous moment.

A lone dove flew past gracefully, swiftly circling the huge congregation, all clothed in garbs of black; pristine white wings stretched to their peak length, absorbing the heat of the sun, hanging low in a sky of perfect blue. A light breeze ruffled the otherwise still air; the perfect summer settings a contradiction to the event currently taking place: Rei Kon's funeral.

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Yes...I admit, this is a really short chapter, my shortest ever by far, but I just wanted to set the mood for the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!

Please review as it helps to know what those reader your work think.

Take care all!

Ja ne.


	2. The Art Of Farewell

Hello there my dears!! For those of you who have read this fic, you are probably wondering where the other ten chapters have gone ... well, I read through the fic and I realised that I was extremely unhappy about the way everything turned out ... so I decided to re-write it. _-grins sheepishly-_ I hope you don't mind too much.

To those who did review the last chapter I posted before this, I thank you. _-glomps-_

So on to the SECOND chapter of 'Moving On and Healing'

**Disclaimer:** I do not own. The only thing in my possession are my ideas and my computer, so please do not sue ... you will get little more than a half-empty glass of ice-tea.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Two – The Art of Farewell

Gaze fixed towards the emerald green and white slashed coffin, Kai ignored the knowing glances and whispers sent his way by the many people seated around him – ignoring the way bodies would swerved around in their sears to catch a glimpse of the once great Kai Hiwatari, who had fallen to Earth the moment Rei Kon passed on from this living plane in to the next; nothing but memories and pictures proof of his once existence. Once he regarded these reactions, he knew he would break down, and that would tarnish whatever reputation, pride and dignity he had managed to hold onto through his tears and suffering – which is why his gaze never left the coffin that held his close friend and all-most lover.

His gaze strayed to the young people supporting the coffin for a moment, regarding them with empty, hollow eyes tinted with the faint evidence of sorrow and guilt. His eyes moved away from their figures soon after though, focusing on the back of the pristine white chair in front of him. He couldn't bear to take in their haggard, mourning appearance. Guilt clamped his heart like a vice and he willed the tears back, blinking forcefully to keep them at bay, but it was all in vain, the smallest of tears trailing their way down slightly bruised, porcelain cheeks, evidence of everything that occurred in the past few weeks.

A petite hand clasped his own tenderly, startling him out of his reverie. He tore his eyes away from the chair, gazing at the hand attached to his own, before following it up and finally gazing into Hilary's tearful ruby eyes. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, a thin smile touching her pale lips. He returned the smile somewhat, and although forced and tight, Hilary nodded in gratitude, needing comfort just as much as anyone else. Though not totally close to Rei, she had still felt that connection that all friends do, and as she spent so much time in his peaceful presence, she couldn't help but feel that she hadn't paid the teen enough attention. She had known him for a good couple of years, and she had respected him, basked in his calmness, and gone to him to rant and rave. He would always listen to her no matter what. Her spiralling thoughts caused her to let out a quiet sob, and she pulled back her hand to swipe at her eyes.

Kai caught her hand though, watching the tears fall fluidly, before shaking his head and intertwining his fingers with hers. "He deserves them …" his whisper was barely heard, but his close proximity to Hilary allowed her to hear it, nodding slightly.

She didn't stop the tears from flowing then, allowing the salty liquid to trail down her cheeks, a sign of how much Rei would be missed amongst them - just a few of the hundreds of sorrowful droplets shed by the huge congregation.

Kai turned his crimson gaze back towards the coffin's progression down the aisle, watching in dark fascination as the members of White Tiger X lowered it to the ground delicately, frozen in spot for a moment, before stepping back and taking their respective seats at the front of the congregation, eyes down-cast with tear tracks fresh on their cheeks. He glared at the camera pointed and zoomed in on their features, anger flaring though him at the fact that the death of one of his closest friends would be a way for the press to make money. Frankly, it disgusted him and he had to look away before he did something he would later regret.

Silence filled the packed cemetery as the priest stepped up to the podium, garbed in black robes. The podium had been swamped by delicate flowers, vibrant and bright, blending into one another until they were nothing more than a sea of petals. The old man cleared his throat, his deep, penetrating eyes scanning the vast crowd as his hands came to rest in front of him, lightly touching the Bible. His eyes met with Kai's for the briefest of seconds, causing the teen to freeze and tense up in his seat, before quickly moving on, watching the many other faces. Kai let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and slumped back slightly in his seat. He had never been a religious person, but the priest's eyes seemed to burying their way into his very soul, making him feel that God himself were burrowing his way through his very being, and to say the least, it disturbed him.

It was a few seconds later when the elderly priest spoke up, his gently, firm voice powering over the silence. "We are gathered here today to bid farewell to God's child …" A wave of despair seemed to wash over everyone seated, the priest words enforcing the realness of the situation, of the gathering. Sobs could be heard amongst the people, wails of sorrow, groans of utter disbelief, for none could believe that they would face the day when Rei Kon, master of Drigger, would be buried, not this soon at least.

Rei's death had shocked the entire Beyblading Community to the core. Shrines had been almost immediately been put up in his memory, candles lit in remembrance. No one had been able to comprehend the teen's death for days, many stumbling around in dazed shock and disbelief, waiting for the moment when a newscaster would report it to be a mistake, just as Tala's death had been. But it never came.

News reports had come fast and wide surrounding Rei's death, all of which referred to Kai, Tala, Bryan and Spencer, as well as Boris' death in the hazy inferno which had claimed Rei's young life. Press had been gathering around the hospital in desperate hopes of getting a statement from any of the teen's involved as well as the BBA chairman, Mr Dickenson, but without luck as of yet.

Kai sighed, closing his eyes. Images flashed through his mind tortuously. Every moment he had spent with Rei over the last few years came back to him, right up until the very moment he had held the teen in his arms after he had been shot, blood seeping through his shirt and onto his own hands at such an alarming rate. Shuddering, Kai opened his eyes and looked down at his hands, seeing the blood that stained them. He choked back a sob, remembering the moment he had found out about Rei's death. It would forever be imprinted in his head. He could never forget the pain, heartache, sorrow, anger and despair that had overwhelmed him and rendered him immobile and speechless. Like millions of others, he just could not believe it, nor did he wish to believe it.

He just couldn't understand how things had spiralled out of control. It just didn't seem possible. It had barely been three months when Tala and himself had been undeniably happy, and Rei had been the perfect, supporting friend. Everything just went wrong the night Tala had 'died'. Now … Kai sighed, now Tala was still in hospital, deemed too weak to travel or move for longer than a few minutes and Rei … Rei was dead, lying still and unmoving in a coffin and minutes away from being buried six feet under, never to see the light of day again.

He wished he could turn back time – stop everything from happening, but no matter how much he strived for this, he knew that it wouldn't come true. Nothing could change the past, yet nothing could determine the future.

Wincing slightly, Kai bit his lip as a sharp pain lanced through his chest. He ignored the concerned look Hilary, Tyson, Max, Kenny, Hiro and even Daichi threw at him. They all knew that Kai was meant to be in hospital. In fact, he was told not to leave the hospital for anything for the next month or so, his injuries far too raw and tender to be under any type of strain.

"Kai … are you ok?" Hiro's worried whisper from beside the teen was answered by a barely perceptible nod.

"Kai … you need to go back to the hospital … Rei would understand …" Kai shook his head at Max's suggestion, shooting him a small grateful smile.

"I'm fine, Max, Hiro. Don't worry about me …" Hiro, Max, Kenny, Tyson, Hilary and Daichi all shared a look with each other, before sighing and turning their attention back towards the ceremony.

Holding back another wince, Kai tried to ignore the throbbing pain throughout his chest, watching as the priest stepped back from the podium, allowing a tall, broad-shouldered, black-haired teen to take his place. Kai was surprised at the transformation Lee had gone through over the years as he focused on the words leaving the teen's mouth.

"Rei was a great friend. My brother, my family in everything we ever did. I grew up with him … spent my entire childhood with him … a childhood that I now only have in my memories … but even those will fade with time …" Lee paused to take in a deep steadying breath. "But I know that because of everyone else in my life, those memories though faded, will remind me of how important Rei was to me … to everyone. He would always listen to anyone, helping them with their problems with his fantastic advice. He was like a neutraliser, able to calm any out of hand situation. He was generous and caring, worried about someone over the smallest of things. He was strong and determined, always willing to offer a helping hand, down to earth and peaceful … it was a wonder that Drigger chose him for a master," Lee reached into his pocket and retrieved Drigger's bit-chip. He clutched it in his hand and closed his eyes for a moment, seeming to savour the object in his hand.

He stepped down quickly and walked towards the coffin, lifting a small latch and placing the bit-chip inside. Replacing the latch, he strode back to the podium, tears in his eyes, continuing his speech. "Rei meant a lot to many people …" Lee's bronze eyes clashed dangerously with Kai's crimson. "… a few people meant a lot to him …"

Kai couldn't tear his eyes away from Lee's, caught frozen in pools of smouldering depths. "… I guess that was his downfall in the end … he sacrificed himself for others … and his last sacrifice was the death of him." Lee's voice took on an angered tone, unnoticed by all apart from Kai, whose eyes widened in shock, disbelief barely marring his features. "He put other's safety before his own … and he died for it … I was furious at him for it … he threw away his life for someone with …" Lee clenched his teeth together, glaring heatedly at Kai.

Hilary noticed this and frowned, a cold feeling creeping into her heart. She squeezed Kai's hand firmly, but it went unnoticed.

"… he threw his life away for another … his heart of gold always shining through." Lee's voice broke slightly, emotion getting the better of him. "I … I'll always miss him … and so will everyone else gathered here today. I want to thank you, for coming here and supporting Rei … it just shows how much he affected people … how much people miss and love him … so I'll just say … I' … I'll miss you Rei, brother … rest in peace … yo-you'll always, forever be in my heart …" Sniffing, Lee wiped a hand over his face, breaking his gaze with Kai. "Tha- … thank you." The tall teen stepped off of the podium quickly, brushing the tears away from his eyes. He walked slowly to his seat, his eyes once more seeking out Kai's, aiming a frosted glare that chilled Kai to the bone.

Forcing his gaze away, Kai watched as the priest stepped back up onto the podium. He listened half-heartedly to what the old man was saying, his skin prickling uncomfortably from Lee's speech.

Minutes passed by in a daze as the priest finished off his final speech and stepped down, standing in front of the hole dug up to receive Rei's coffin, the Chinese teen's final resting place. The members of White Tiger X stood up swiftly and stationed themselves around the coffin, then bent down and picked up a strap of rope each, stringed underneath the coffin and lifted. Lowering it into the hole, wails echoed around the cemetery, Kai's body shaking at the sight and the sounds around him.

A whispered gasp escaped his lips, terror clutching his heart as the coffin disappeared from sight. "Rei …"

With a chorus of cries, weeping, moans and sniffling from the hundreds gathered, the first handful of soil was thrown atop the coffin …

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I'm happy with the way this turned out!! _-glomps reader- _What do you think?? 

Review please! It only takes a few seconds.


	3. Arguments Of Sorrow

Hello my dears!! I am officially back from the dead!! I know it's been absolute ages since I've updated anything or even attempted a new fic, but life dealt me some very severe blows that had me reeling for a good couple of months, and it all left me without the right mind-frame to continue writing. But now that everything's nearly settled down, I'm finally ready to continue writing!

I really am sorry for making you guys wait this long, so updates may be frequent from me in hopes of gaining your forgiveness.

So ... on to the next chapter of 'Moving On and Healing'. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Do. Not. Own

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Chapter Three – Arguments Of Sorrow

Kai sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment and just allowing himself to be absorbed in the peace and serenity of his surroundings. Deep crimson eyes opened to the world after a second, and the owner of those eyes took a seat on a solitary oak bench, close by to where Rei Kon had just been buried. The soil was still fresh and damp atop the coffin, and the headstone shone in the bright sunshine that illuminated the cemetery. Kai stared at the headstone unblinkingly, taking in nothing about its appearance apart from the solitary lily that stood perched at its bottom. The lily that now symbolised Rei's departure from the human world.

The funeral had ended a while ago, the three hundred or more mourners and scattered members of press having disappeared long since, uncomfortable in such a dismally, sorrowful place. The only thing that remained, proof of their presence, were the scattered bits of scrunched up tissues swaying and dancing amongst the grass and around the chairs, in the breeze.

Kai turned his head away from the single lily and towards the gates of the funeral in the far distance. He longed to just leave this place. Turn his back and just drive off with Bryan and Spencer, who were anxiously awaiting his presence after he had asked for a few minutes of solitude. But most of all, he wanted to run back to the safety of his fiancé; to be wrapped up in those warm, muscular arms that seemed to protect him from all harm. But he knew he couldn't. He hadn't been able to say goodbye to Rei personally, and that was what held him in this place.

With a resigned sigh, Kai tore his gaze away from the cemetery gates and back towards Rei's grave. Wincing as he stood when a flash of pain stabbed its way through his chest, Kai clutched at his shirt, and willed it to fade, grateful when it did seconds later. Groaning slightly, Kai rubbed the pained area and limped towards the grave, sitting down in front of it with a little less grace than he was accustomed to. Pale, scarred hands reached out slowly, the tips of his fingers gently grazing the engravings that had been etched into the solid marble headstone.

_Rei Kon_

_World-class Beyblader_

_Brave master of Drigger with an undeniable heart of gold_

_Selfless with high morals_

_Loving, supportive and caring friend_

_May your pure soul rest in peace_

_24 July 1988 – 14 April 2007_

He blinked and let his hand fall to rest limply at his side, tears touching the back of his eyes. He let his head fall to rest on his chest as he crossed his legs, his hands coming down to play with the blades of grass by his body. A soft breeze wafting through the air; Mother Nature wanting to calm her young charge.

"I'm so sorry, Rei," Kai whispered softly, swallowing back the lump that had formed in his throat, "You weren't meant …" He paused, emotion swelling up in his chest, "… you weren't meant to …" for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to say that single word. Running a hand through his hair distractedly, Kai shook his head, settling on a: "Rest in peace my friend."

He turned his head away from the headstone solemnly, fixing his gaze on the white chairs surrounding him, the beautiful, smooth marble taunting him, laying claim to the person whose death it marked. "Rest in peace."

"Bit difficult to do with you still in the land of the living, Hiwatari." The venom in the voice that sounded behind him almost startled Kai, however, years of training allowed Kai's expression to remain neutral and unfazed.

Frowning, the petit Russian teen turned his head slowly, crimson eyes clashing violently with darkened bronze. He stood up swiftly and turned to face the other. "Lee."

Lee sneered, staring down at Kai, his lip curling in disgust, "Hiwatari."

Sighing tiredly, Kai wiped a hand over his face, feeling far too tired to deal with the Chinese teen. "I was just leaving …"

Lee merely glared at him, bronze eyes swirling with barely concealed emotion that was just bursting to be released. His top lip curled into a dark sneer, fists clenching by his sides.

Watching Lee intently, Kai shook his head and turned to walk away, more than ready to leave this place now that what he wanted to say had been said, and the peace he had felt was now ruined by Lee's sudden presence. He frowned inwardly, wondering how long Lee had been watching him.

He had barely taken three steps when a hand shot out and grasped his upper arm tightly, on the verge of causing any lesser person harm. Kai however, immediately bristled, reflexes almost kicking in before he managed to control himself. Instead he relaxed the muscles in his arm, although the rest of his body remained rigid; poised for defensive action. His chin lowered slightly, causing long, jagged strands of silver hair to hang in front of his eyes, hiding his expression from the other teen. "Let go of me."

"You're not going anywhere!" Lee snarled, tightening his grip on the slender limb in his grasp.

"And why's that?" Kai inquired, his patience running thin. He knew he was weak at the moment, and any physical confrontation with the other, much larger teen, would only lead to aggravated wounds and a long-overdue lecture from his doctor and the hoard of nurses who had taken an instant liking to him, regardless of his cold demeanour around them. And there was the fact that in his current state of health, Lee would probably be able to catch him off guard and deliver a severe blow.

"Because I have something I want, no, need to say to you. "

"But I don't want to hear it." Kai's eyes flashed dangerously, unbeknownst to the Chinese teen. "I believe you said enough during your little speech."

A smirk graced Lee's curled lip, his hand falling away from the Russian teen's arm to join the other as he crossed his chest. "I assumed you'd get the message loud and clear."

"What do you want, Lee?" Kai turned on his heel, glaring up defiantly at the taller teen. "What more do you have to say?"

Darkened, bronze eyes narrowing into mere slits, Lee lowered his arms and clenched his fists. "Oh. I have a lot to say, Kai. A lot." He sneered slightly, pushing his face closer to Kai's. "You are the cause of Rei's death."

Kai scoffed half-heartedly, the words cutting into him more than he was willing to let on. "Oh really? What makes you say that?"

"He died when he was with you, didn't he?" Lee pointed out sharply.

"Do you really believe that I led Rei to his death?"

"Yes."

Fine eyebrows drawing together in a frown, Kai shook his head unbelievingly, "Do you honestly believe that I dragged him there unwillingly? That I would risk the life of another? That I would've let him …" Kai choked slightly on the words that just weren't willing to come out "… that I would've let him die? Lee, he was my friend, my team-mate … there was nothing I could do to prevent it." A pained expression touched Kai's face before it disappeared quickly.

A hand shot out and struck his cheek unexpectedly, causing the petit teen to stumble somewhat before regaining his balance. His hand rose up to cradle the tender, abused flesh, crimson eyes flashing maliciously. It took Kai a split second to shift his weight onto his right leg and deal a roundhouse kick with his left to Lee's side. The Chinese teen, half expecting a retaliation, grabbed the leg moments after it had struck him, and pulled back, sending Kai crashing to the floor on his back, his head hitting the floor with a dull THUD. Momentarily winded, Kai struggled for breath, the pain in his chest flaring up again. A cough wracked through him, his body shuddering in pain.

A muttered "Shit" left Kai's mouth in a soft gasp, before he weakly attempted to stand up.

"You could've done _something!!_ _Anything_ to save him!" Lee could only see red, raw anger overshadowing the sight before him. "But you did nothing! You stood there and let him take the bullet. And he's dead now! Eighteen years old, Kai! Eighteen years old and six fucking feet underground!"

"Lee…" Kai wheezed, standing up, "If I could've done anything … Damnit, if I could turn back the clocks, then I never wouldn't have let Rei come with us. If I knew what would happen, I never would've let him take the bullet for me."

"But that's just it, Kai. You can't turn back the clocks. You can't change the fact that he gave up his life for you. He's dead Kai. There's nothing you can do to bring him back …" Lee took in a deep steadying breath, affected by the direction of this conversation.

"Then what do you want me to do, Lee?"

Lee blinked, on the verge of saying something else, before he stopped, looking somewhat shocked. "I …"

"He was my friend too, Lee. I cared for him … but what do you want me to do?" Kai fought back a coughing fit, his chest feeling unbearable tight and itchy.

"I just wan-"

"Kai!" the sudden unexpected voice drowned out what Lee was about to say and drew both their attention towards the two approaching figures.

"Bry?" Kai frowned slightly, watching the stocky platinum-haired Russian running towards them, followed closely by Spencer, who looked extremely concerned.

Lee's head snapped back towards Kai, a dark fire burning within his eyes that hadn't been there a moment ago. "What I want, Kai… what I want is Rei back. But if that can't happen, then I 'd rather you drop dead. I. Hate. You. You took away my best friend, my …" Pursing his lips together in frustration, Lee growled, "Drop dead Hiwatari." Throwing a momentary glance back towards the approaching teens, he turned on his heel and stalked off, leaving Kai reeling in his wake, shock clearly apparent on his pale features.

"Kai? KAI!" Bryan reached the stationary teen first, grasping him by the shoulders urgently. "Kai, are you okay?"

Blinking back to reality, Kai almost sighed in relief, a small smile touching his lips, " … Yeah."

Bryan searched Kai's face earnestly, worry written all over his face. "What did Lee want? What did he say?"

Kai inwardly shuddered as Lee's words came back to him, "Nothing."

Spencer's hand reached out from over Bryan's shoulder to place itself against Kai's forehead, before slowly moving down and cupping his chin. "We got worried … you didn't come back to the car."

Smiling softly at the concern radiating off the two older teens, Kai took a small step forward and wrapped his arms around Bryan's mid-section, hand's grasping the front of Spencer's shirt. The two teen's returned the hug carefully, albeit a bit awkwardly because of their position, not wanting to agitate Kai's injuries.

"I'm fine you guys." Kai's voice was slightly muffled from Bryan's shirt.

Bryan pulled back after a moment, scanning Kai's face once more, but this time noticing something that had failed to grab his attention a few seconds ago. Frowning darkly, Bryan let go of Kai's waist with his right hand and brought it up to the shorter teen's face, tracing the tender flesh where a dark bruise was slowly forming.

"The bastard hit you?!" Bryan's voice had dropped a few tenors, an edge of icy venom lacing his words.

Kai pulled away abruptly, "No. I'm fine, Bryan. It's nothing … it's jus-" He broke off abruptly, covering his mouth as a small coughing fit took over. Spencer and Bryan looked on in concern, but stayed their distance. Calming his breathing, Kai continued, "… it's nothing, ok? Lee just wanted to talk … about, Rei, and things kind of got out of hand."

"Yeah, the fucking bastard hit you!" Bryan roared.

"Bry … enough. It was just a misunderstanding."

"Why are you defending him?"

Kai turned to the blond haired teen, a slight exasperated expression on his face, "I'm not defending him." Sighing and shaking his head, Kai unconsciously rubbed at the forming bruise on his upper arm, hidden by his clothes. "All we did was talk."

Both Russian teens shot Kai a dubious look, not for a second believing a single word that the shorter teen had told them.

"Oh really??" Spencer's eyebrow was twitching steadily, a sure sign that he was becoming increasingly concerned. "Then why did he hit you?"

"Spencer, please. Just drop it. I told you, it was a misunderstanding." Kai's tone left no room for argument, but that seemed to fall on deaf ears when both taller teens stepped forward, crossing their arms over their chests and pinning Kai with an accusatory glare.

"Kai, just listen ok? We made a promise to Tala before we left. We promised him that we would look after you. That we wouldn't let anything happen to you while you were with us."

"I don't need looking after." Kai scowled petulantly, "And why would you make a promise you know you can't keep?"

"Well we were keeping it just fine until that bastard showed up!" Spencer hissed.

Kai looked away.

"Kai, all we want to know is what happened. Why he hit you and what he said. It was hard enough getting Tala to let you out of his sight for a few minutes, but to let you attend the funeral without him was really hard. Don't make him regret allowing this to happen." Bryan sighed, hoping that he was getting through to the obstinate teen, "Just, tell us what happened, and we'll try to keep it from Tala. Please, Kai …"

Kai remained adamantly quiet, glaring at the grass, until he let out a resigned sigh and started to speak. "He blames me for Rei's death. He believes that it was my fault that Rei sacrificed himself … my fault that he died …"

"Kai …"

"No. " Kai held up a hand to keep Spencer away, wanting to continue. "Let me finish.." Spencer hesitated for a second before complying with Kai's request. "Thank you … I told him there was nothing I could've done, and I guess he didn't want to hear that … so yeah he hit me. He probably thought I was being patronising. But I wasn't. Rei was my friend …"

Spencer's eyes softened immediately, as he finally stepped forward, engulfing the teen in a protective hug. "He's just upset, Kai. Don't take anything he said to heart. He's just lost a childhood friend. I know I'd feel the same if anything happened to you, Bryan or Tala."

"What about Ian?" Kai queried, face buried in Spencer's coat.

"And that little squirt if he ever gets in contact with us." Spencer chuckled half-heartedly.

"But you know, I can't help thinking that somehow it was my fault … that-" Bryan quickly cut Kai off, appearing over Spencer's broad shoulder.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare question Rei's sacrifice. He did it for you and nothing you could've said or done would've changed that. What he did was the highest form of friendship that anyone could've ever expressed. He cared about you so much, Kai … he never would've let you get shot! And I don't think he'd appreciate you blaming yourself!" Kai was shocked to see tears brimming within Bryan's platinum eyes. "Don't you ever believe what anyone else says!"

"Bry …" Kai felt his heart go out to the platinum haired teen, whose affections for the deceased neko were more apparent now than they had been at any moment in time before. "You're right. You're absolutely ri-" he broke off suddenly, caught up in a violent coughing fit. One hand flew to his mouth, whilst the other clutched at the material over his chest, Spencer knocked back from their embrace in surprise.

It took him a split second to react though.

"Kai!" Spencer surged forwards, pulling Kai's hand away from his mouth forcefully as well as the one at his chest and held both in his larger hands gently, coaxing the teen to breathe through the coughs wracking his slight frame. "Breathe, Kai. Breathe. Just breathe. Take a deep breath in … that's it … and let it out slowly … there you go …"

After a few shuddering breaths and escaped tears, Kai managed to control his breathing, slumping heavily against Spencer's chest. Kai wheezed deeply against Spencer's solid chest, fatigue washing 

over him. Bryan stood off to the side, on the verge of chewing on his nails from the worry that coursed through him.

Sighing with relief against the top of Kai's head as he hugged the smaller teen to him, Spencer closed his eyes and willed his pounding heart to calm; reassuring himself that Kai was fine. He brought a hand up to run through silky strands, only to stop at the stickiness of the skin on his hand. Frowning, he glanced at his hand and almost stopped breathing at what he saw.

"Bry … come here," Spencer's trembling voice was hushed and deadly serious.

Shooting the blond a curious look, Bryan stepped around the embracing teens and arched a questioning eyebrow. Hesitantly, Spencer lifted his hand, palm facing the platinum haired teen. Eyes widening, Bryan's sharp intake of breath prompted Kai to raise his head weakly, wondering what was going on, but exhaustion as well as the dull throb of his numb chest caused him to slump further into Spencer's embrace, his whole weight virtually supported by the brawny blond, his eyes falling closed, his mind on the verge of being unconscious.

"We have to get him back to the hospital." Bryan urged, a vague note of hysteria touching his voice.

Nodding gravely, Spencer could only agree, worry coursing through him. Peering down at the tuft of silky silver and royal blue hair, he spoke softly. "Kai? Kai, c'mon. We've got to take you back to the hospital … Kai?"

The Russian teen groaned softly, nodding his head slightly and pulling back from Spencer's protective hold. Blearily opening his eyes, Kai stepped back and out of Spencer's embrace, only to sway precariously and stumble back, falling into Bryan's prepared arms.

"Kai!" two voices cried out at the same time, concern evident in their voices.

Bryan's arms immediately wrapped around Kai's slight frame, holding him closely in a protective embrace. "We have to get him back now!"

Kai groaned slightly in protest, struggling against Bryan's hold. "I'm fine. Let me go. I can walk."

"No, Kai. You can't." Bryan's heartbeat quickened when Kai slumped back against him, his breathing wheezy and wet sounding. "Shit. Kai!"

"This isn't good." Spencer muttered anxiously, his eyes scanning Kai's slim frame. "He's bleeding internally …"

"God damnit, Spence! I know that. We need to get him back to the hospital and fast!!" Whilst stating the obvious and taking control of the situation, Bryan gently manoeuvred Kai in his arms, one arm below his knees and the other cradled against his back, until the smaller teen was nestled against his chest.

"I'm fine …" Kai's soft voice wafted through the air. "Just a little tired. Nothing to worry about."

Bryan scowled, Kai's disregard for his own health grating on his nerves as the teen didn't even know the extent of his injuries. "That's absolute bullshit, Kai." He sighed deeply, concern evident on his face. "Just … please stop pretending. You need to stop acting … we know you better than anyone, and it really hurts us when you claim that you're ok when you're obviously not. Kai, we care about you. You're our brother. You don't need to pretend around us …"

Kai's eyes fluttered open, pained ruby depths gazing up at Bryan. "I'm sorry … but the Abbey … Boris … it's just …"

"Hard to let old habits die?" Bryan finished, his heart swelling in understanding.

Kai nodded his head meekly.

Spencer lowered his eyes to the ground, unable to look at the teen cradled in Bryan's arms. They all knew that certain things had happened to Kai that no one else in the Abbey had had to experience. They didn't know what those things were or why they had happened, and Kai hadn't told them. It was taboo. They didn't want to bring up those memories for him. It was just too painful.

"We understand." Kai averted his eyes towards Spencer and gave him a small, grateful smile.

"No more pretending …" a violent cough wracked Kai's weak body and a groan escaped his throat, his eyes clenching shut. "… I want Tal … I want him here …"

Frowning, Bryan nodded, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. "We'll get you to him, Kai. Just hold on." Looking up at Spencer, Bryan gulped noiselessly. "We have to go. Now."

Nodding, Spencer set off quickly towards the direction of the car, aware of Bryan's echoing footsteps behind him. He shot a quick glance back, his heart swelling up in his chest. _'Please Kai, you have to make it …'_

* * *

Well there you have it my dears. Hope it was worth the VERY LONG wait. xD

Review? Please and thank you.


	4. Return To White Pristine

Hello my dears. First things first, I just want to thank those of you who reviewed ... glad to know that you're still taking an interest. :D So, because of you guys, here's Chapter Four!! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Do. Not. Own

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Chapter Four – Return To White Pristine

The car screeched to a shaky stop in front of the large glass building, and Bryan's muscular frame immediately shot out of the back seat, his arms clutching the precious bundle to his chest, praying to whatever omnipotent being above them, to keep Kai safe. None of the Blitzkrieg Boys had been remotely religious; the horrors of their lives only fuelling their belief that if one could experience such suffering in such a short life-time without the promise and sanctuary of mercy, then that omniscient being had no place in their lives. They did not actually believe that such a being could exist, but right now, with the touch of cold skin on his heated flesh, Bryan let himself slip slightly and put his faith in the higher being, fear coursing through his young body. Every human needed salvation, and Bryan was no different.

Spencer was directly behind him, ignoring the fact that he had parked haphazardly across three parking spaces in the overly crowded car park, nor did he care for that matter. The only thing his mind was focused on was the person clutched tight to Bryan's chest, who was mere steps in front of him. The blond had been teetering on the edge for the past few minutes, wondering what would happen if his speeding along the roads had attracted unwanted police men who would undoubtedly stop them in their tracks. Those few precious minutes could've meant Kai's life that was already barely hanging by a thread.

His body shuddered as his mind flashed back to those tedious moments in the car, when the younger teen had started shivering uncontrollably in the back seat, feverish mutterings for the security of his fiancé's arms leaving his lips every few seconds. Those words would take Spencer's heart in a vice-grip, worrying that any second now, Kai could die. But he had managed to stay somewhat focused, eventually managing to get them to the hospital in record time. Shaking himself out of those haunting thoughts, Spencer vaguely noticed Bryan's body passing through the sliding glass doors, and mere milliseconds later, so did his.

His nose was immediately assaulted by the nauseating scent of cleanliness, something he had never gotten use to and had almost come close to fearing in the years at the Abbey. But he pushed all of these thoughts right to the back of his mind, instead focusing on the startled reactions of patients, nurses and doctors alike as Bryan's voice filled the air:

"GET ME DOCTOR CARLISLE NOW!!"

The dark underlying threat of pain within Bryan's voice managed to snap the many shocked hospital staff into action, as many ran down separate hallways, yelling various medical jargon at each other to clarify their duty. Spencer happened to be well tuned into the world of medicine and had deducted that nurses were on the search for Doctor Carlisle, whilst another doctor was running off to retrieve a stretcher and pass on information to prep the emergency room.

The blond Russian spared a glance at his lilac-haired friend, noting the slightly lost expression on the teen's face. Both himself, Kai and Tala knew the teen's previous infatuation with the deceased neko, and had dully recognised the sudden change in attitude when it concerned any of his friends. The lilac haired Russian had taken it upon himself to make sure that all three of his brothers were safe, if only to prevent a repeat death of another close friend that had a permanent place in his heart.

Spencer's eyes flickered to Kai's limp body, his heart tearing at the sight. Blood specked the young teen's lips, his skin unnaturally pale and his chest rising and falling erratically. He couldn't even imagine what the teen was feeling, if in fact, he was conscious of feeling at all at the moment.

Helplessness engulfed him as well as self-loathing. No matter how much he promised to be there for his brothers, he knew that he wasn't capable of preventing things like his from happening. He wouldn't be able to stop something like this from occurring, because he had no idea how and 

neither was it in his power to do so. He was trained in all sorts of hand-to-hand and weapon combat, but never for something like this. Never for his emotions to go into overdrive and almost completely consume him whole.

Bryan turned to him suddenly, pale eyes glimmering darkly, his arms unconsciously tightening around the slim teen in his arms. They searched his own eyes for assurance, because no matter what, Spencer would always be the 'father-figure' in their little family. The younger teens all looked to him for advice and comfort and it warmed him greatly to have that special responsibility. Lips twitching up into the barest of smiles, no matter how forced, Spencer wordlessly calmed Bryan's racing heart, mind and soul.

"He's strong. He's been through worse."

"But how much more can he take?"

There was no answer to this, because honestly, Spencer had been wondering exactly the same thing himself, though he never wanted to put an answer to that question.

Bryan seemed to notice his lack of response, his heart falling once more as the assurance he had desperately sought out was shot down without the utterance of a single word. Every second that passed, Kai's skin would feel colder and the violent shivering that had wracked the small body had dimmed down, an occurrence he knew was a turn for the worse.

Worry pulled at his heart and mind, his concern for the youngest member of their little family consuming him whole. Not for the first time in his life, Bryan could openly admit that he was afraid, almost damn near petrified, but he didn't have the opportunity to voice this to the blond Russian watching both himself and Kai anxiously, as a middle-age male doctor came running down the hallway, a gaggle of concerned nurses at his heel. His light brown hair clearly disheveled and his green eyes frantic with worry.

"Bryan! Spencer! What's happened?!" the doctor had reached the two stationary teens, his hand already reaching out to check the young Russian's pulse. Cursing slightly as he pulled away, he turned on his heel, his eyes searching the hallway restlessly. "Where's the damn stretcher!"

"Here sir!" a young doctor flung himself down the opposite hallway, a stretcher pushed awkwardly in front of him as he tried to steer it at the speed his was running at.

"What took you so long?!" the first doctor barked, annoyance settling over his features.

"I had to go and tell the surgeons to prep the emergency room." The young male doctor slid to a stop in front Bryan, motioning with his eyes for the platinum haired teen to place his precious bundle on the stretcher.

The middle-aged doctor only nodded sharply, and turned to face both Bryan and Spencer. "What happened to him?"

"Internal bleeding." Spencer supplied immediately, watching Bryan place Kai on the stretcher from the corner of his eye.

The doctor 'tsked' and set about fretting over the dual-haired teen, motioning once in a while for another nurse to come forward, whilst quickly dismissing the young doctor that had retrieved the stretcher. "Why didn't you bring him in earlier?

"He didn't say anything …" Bryan whispered, stepping back slightly to allow the doctor space.



The doctor muttered something along the lines of '… as stubborn as his damn fiancé … job harder … great!'

Spencer frowned slightly, a commotion further down the hallway catching his attention, but he brushed it off quickly, focusing his attention on Kai's still body. "Doctor Carlisle, are you taking him back into surgery?"

The doctor looked up, hands gripping the handles of the stretcher and gently maneuvering it around until it faced his chosen direction. He hesitated slightly before answering, his eyes softening at the utterly lost expressions adorning both Russian's faces. "I'm afraid so boys … I'm sure some of his stitches have come undone …"

The ruckus further down the hallway seemed to escalate, raised voices clearly heard as they echoed down the hallway. Spencer, Bryan and the Doctor turned their attention towards the noise, frowning at the amount of nurses that seemed to be pleading with someone to get back to their bed.

"Damnit!! Let me see him! He's my fiancé! Where is he!?" The voice arguing back with them was so undeniably familiar that Spencer found himself running towards it. Bryan stood transfixed where he was though; counting the seconds that passed, knowing that right now, Kai's life was at risk and should place top priority.

Meanwhile, Spencer had reached the frantic gaggle of nurses, each shrieking their objection to the teen's progress any further down the hallway. The teen in question froze when he locked eyes with the blond Russian, his expression one abundant with concern and distress for his younger other half.

"Tala …" Spencer started, gently moving various protesting nurses out of his way and gripping one of the redhead's shaking hands.

Tala in turn clutched the hand tightly in return, his sharp blue eyes searching the older teen's face, but upon finding nothing, he opened his mouth to question him. "Where is he?! What happened to him!?" Craning his neck over Spencer's broad shoulders, Tala felt his heart stop as his eyes landed on his vulnerable other. "Kai …" Snatching his hand back quickly, Tala gritted his teeth through the pain lacing through his leg and clumsily shoved Spencer and a couple of irate nurses out of the way, practically running down the hallway to reach the young dual-haired enigma. "KAI!"

Blue eyes flickered over the pale face frantically, his hands coming down to clutch the smaller ones lying limp by the slim teen's sides, but jerked at the immediate coolness of the skin. Fear gripping his heart, the red haired Russian turned furious sapphire eyes to Doctor Carlisle. "What are you waiting for!? HELP HIM!!"

When the Doctor remained frozen in place in shock, Tala lost whatever control he had left. Placing a soft kiss to the back of one of Kai's hands, he gently released them and soon found himself gripping the Doctor around the throat, his obvious injuries not affecting his strength as he lifted the older man into the air slightly. "I SAID HELP HIM!!"

Nodding jerkily, Doctor Carlisle removed the hands from his throat and stumbled when his feet met the ground. Quickly regaining his balance and casting a reassuring look back at the flustered red head, he grabbed the handle of the stretcher and quickly pushed it down the hallway, barking to a few nurses and doctors to help him. His last order was directed at a petite lavender haired teen standing meekly in the corner, watching the scenario with deceptively wise silver eyes. Upon receiving her orders, she hastened towards the three Russian teens. As soon as they had noted 

her presence, she bowed slightly in respect and motioned for them to follow her down the hallway and towards the waiting room.

Tala's demeanour, having slumped as soon as Kai's body had left his side, balled his hands into fists; his icy gaze trained on the floor and refused to move. Spencer and Bryan frowned in distress, gazing at each other then at the nurse, before sighing lightly and stepping to the red haired teen.

"Tala …" Spencer raised a hand and gently placed it on the other teen's shoulder. Tala flinched immediately, his muscles contracting and tensing. Hurt flashed across the blonde's face as he retracted his hand. "Tala, please …"

Shaking his head obstinately, Tala closed his eyes, his teeth gritting together. The young nurse watched on anxiously, the event affecting her more than was appropriate considering her profession. She felt her heart go out to the three young men, and prayed that everything would turn out for the best. She had been watching the group of bladers since they had arrived, an overwhelming sense of maternal protectiveness swelling over her whenever she saw any of them. It wasn't something she could explain, so she just let these emotions run their course. Tucking a silky strand of silver behind her ear, she took a small step forward, petite hand reaching out to the distraught red head.

Said red head flinched slightly, but the nurse kept her hand where it was, desperate to get through to the young man. "Please Mr Ivanov …" Closed eyes scrunching in confusion at the definite feminine voice addressing him, Tala opened them, darkened blue immediately meeting serene silver. The nurse smiled slightly, silver eyes shimmering. "Please Mr Ivanov … standing here won't help your fiancé … nor will it do your injuries any good."

Tala's eyebrows drew together in a distressed frown, "I don't want to lose him …" Roughly running a hand through dishevelled red strands, Tala took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "… I can't lose him …"

The young nurse felt tears touching the back of her eyes; the complete and utter look of desperation and loss on the Russian's face had her heart held tightly. "Please … Doctor Carlisle wants you to return to your room …"

Tala shook his head, "I can't. Not without knowing that he'll be ok … I can't leave him alone. He needs me!!"

"Tala … we'll go with you … wait for news in your room," Bryan reasoned gently, keeping his distance.

Blue eyes focused on the platinum haired Russian with dark intensity before flickering to the blonde Russian who stood closer to him. Moving slowly over to Spencer, a ferocious glare touched his eyes. "I trusted you two. I trusted you to look after him!" Suddenly taking a step forward, Tala shoved Spencer back. The blond stumbled in shock, eyes widening. "Why didn't you look after him!! You promised you'd look after him!" Fuelled on by anger, Tala took another step forward, but as he lifted his arms to push Spencer back once again, the burly blond quickly grabbed both his arms and drew him in close, grunting as the red head fought back viciously. "No! Let go of me! LET GO!" Tala's body slumped all of a sudden, the anger having seeped out of him during his struggles. "You didn't look after him … you didn't …" Burying his face in Spencer's shoulder, Tala let out a choked sob. "I wasn't there for him …"

The nurse's hand flew to her mouth, her throat tightening from holding back the tears that threatened to spill over. Bryan shivered unconsciously, his eyes cast away from the scene, Tala's 

heart-wrenching sobs cutting him through the heart. "I wasn't there for him … I wasn't there for him …"

Spencer held the shaking redhead protectively, his muscular arms coming around the lean teen's back, his forehead resting against the tufts of red strands. He didn't say anything though, knowing that whatever he attempted to say would only be brushed off and ignored in the torrent of Tala's anguished tears.

Out of nowhere, Tala's legs collapsed from underneath him, causing both himself and Spencer to sink slowly to the ground, the blond holding the teen to his chest tightly. Bryan fell to his knees in an instant, covering Tala's back with his own body and embracing him tightly, needing comfort as much as the red head, yet no tears escaped his eyes.

The young nurse shivered where she stood as realisation hit her. These teenagers, completing the most feared Beyblading team in the world, had their souls laid bare in front of her. Their grief, anxiousness and desperation completely erasing the cold, hard and calculated façade they put up in front of other bladers, in front of the world. They were nothing more than lost little boys clinging on to the other in form of support for they had no one else to turn to. They had experienced and witnessed things that no sane human being would dare comprehend in fear of going completely insane, and yet here they were, clutching one another as if their lives depended on it. No matter what hardships they had gone through, nothing could affect them more than the possibility of losing one of their own. She couldn't help the tear that escaped the corner of her eye as she watched on.

She felt unbearably guilty as she stepped forwards and placed a hand on the lilac-haired teen's shoulder. Gazing up at her with shining silver eyes that greatly mirrored her own, Bryan nodded slightly and pulled back from the embrace. Spencer frowned slightly, but inclined his head in understanding with a quick look sent his way by the other Russian teen. Slowly unwrapping his arms from around Tala's shaking frame, he sighed softly, glad that the red-head's sobs had died down to quiet shudders and gasps.

Cupping Tala's chin with a large hand, Spencer used his other hand to gently wipe away the tear trails that glistened under the buzzing hospital lights. "Let's go wait in your room, ok?"

Taking in a deep, calming breath, Tala gazed up at Spencer sorrowfully, his ice-hard demeanour having been shattered, and then nodded slightly. Smiling encouragingly, Spencer removed his hands and stood up, helping the injured red-head to do the same. Once standing, Tala reached for Spencer's hand, and took a few steps forward in order to grab a hold of Bryan's. The two older Russians, sensing this as a quiet apology from the younger teen, squeezed back reassuringly and allowed Tala to slowly pull them back towards his private room. The nurse smiled softly at the image, before following them silently along the hallway, planning on waiting with them, or at least near them until news of their youngest member came.

Sighing inaudibly, she prepared herself for what she knew to be a long wait.

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Blah! Emotional Tala always gets me! -_sniffs-_ But it had to be done ...

... now all we have to do is see what happens to Kai. Eep! -_dodges sporks-_

Review?


	5. Waiting For The Outcome

Hello my dears! I am back with a relatively quick update! Woo.

I just want to thank those who reviewed. I'm really sorry that I can't reply to each of you individually, but I just want you guys to know that I cherish every word.

Also, for those of you wondering why I haven't updated 'Unexpected Return' yet, it's basically because it's going through the same process as this fic.

Furthermore, anything of importance concerning any of my other fics is updated in my profile.

So, without further ado, here's Chapter Five.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Do. Not. Own

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Chapter Five - Waiting For The Outcome

Sighing dejectedly, Tala stared down at his hands which were placed in his lap. Worry and anxiety coursed through his body, seeming to increase at each passing second. He hated waiting. Hated it with every ounce of his being, but he knew he had no choice, which is why he was sitting relatively still on his bed, ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg from over-exertion and further strain to his injuries. Bryan and Spencer kept a watchful eye on him from their seats, which were pulled up to the bed, afraid of another temperamental outburst. They were still reeling from his previous outburst, and feeling more than a little guilty. Yet they knew that what Tala had said lacked any real conviction and blame.

"Where's Kiyoko? She should've been back with news by now ..." Tala trailed off, eyes flickering to the door in hopes of catching sight of the petite nurse that had helped to calm him down. She was completely different to any other nurse in this building. She didn't care about the fact that they were famous. She just genuinely cared about them, and Tala, Spencer and Bryan couldn't help but admire and like her for that. That and the simple fact that she had seen them break down, and had said absolutely nothing about it, not even hinting at their momentary show of weakness. She had also taken it upon herself to check on Kai's condition every fifteen minutes in every attempt to reassure the teens that he was in the best possible care.

But it had been a while since Kiyoko had left the room. Fear pulsed through his heart at the thought of the lavender haired nurse returning with word that something had gone terribly wrong. He shook the thought out of his head quickly though, not wanting to dwell on something so disturbing.

Bryan frowned at the red-head, knowing exactly what was running through his mind, "She said she'd be a while ... she was planning on calling the rest of Kai's team and telling them what happened ..."

Tala looked up, eyes blank, "Did she?"

Spencer and Bryan shared a look, concern flashing between them, "Yeah ... Didn't you hear her?" Tala shook his head minutely, fixing Spencer with confusion. "Tala, I think you should get some rest ... you've had a long day and the stress can't be good for you …"

The red-head smiled softly at the two's concern, but shook his head. "No, I'm alright guys ... I guess I'm just a bit distracted ... I can't help thinking that something's going to go wrong and that Ka-"

"Stop!" Tala's head jerked up at Spencer's command. The blonde's expression softened quickly though, noting the near look of desperation and loss plastered over Tala's features. "Just stop. Don't even go down that road, Tal. He'll be fine and you know it."

"But what i-" Tala was once again cut off, this time by Bryan.

"Tala." Bryan shook his head at him.

Breathing in deeply, Tala rubbed at his eyes, "I'm sorry ... I just … don't wanna lose him." Sighing, Tala chuckled humourlessly, "This must be how he felt when he found out I was dead ... except a hundred times worse ..."

Bryan and Spencer could say nothing in response, guilt overwhelming them at having kept the truth about Tala from Kai. They had felt unbearably terrible leaving Kai to cope with Tala's supposed death for two and a half days before they had realised that something had gone completely wrong, and decided that they had to do something about it.



Tala, noting the silence and lack of response from the two older Russians, frowned and opened his mouth to speak. Before he got a chance though, there was a light knock on the door. All three occupants of the room found their attention immediately drawn to the door, as Tala called out "Come in!"

The door swung open and a blur of brown sped into the room, and attached itself to Tala, a quiet sob pulled from its throat. It took Tala, Bryan and Spencer a couple of seconds to realise that the blur was Hilary. Feeling warms tears soak his shoulder, Tala gingerly wrapped his arms around the young girl and hugged her, comforting her as much as himself. Tyson, Hiro, Kenny and Daichi followed at a more sedate pace, Hiro, being the last person into the room, closing the door behind him. Each teen's face was rife with worry as they gazed at the three Russian teens.

"What happened?" Hiro queried.

Hilary sniffed and pulled away from Tala, eager to hear an explanation. The red head sighed and motioned for everyone to take a seat. Hilary stayed exactly where she was next to Tala, a reassuring hand placed on the teen's arm. Tala sent a small thankful smile her way, placing a hand over hers briefly.

Bryan coughed slightly, drawing everyone's attention as soon as they had found a place to sit. "Well ... I don't know how much Kiyoko told you guys, but Kai's back in surgery. Doctor Carlisle was sure that some of his stitches have come out and that if they didn't operate straight away, he could die."

The words seemed to strike hard at each of the teens' hearts, a gasp pulled from more than one of their throats. Silence soon followed as they all tried to get their heads around the new information.

It was a few minutes later that Hilary managed to gather the courage to speak up. "But … but he was fine during the funeral …" Confusion flickered across her features as she thought back to the event. "… a little tired I guess … and he kept rubbing his chest, but he assured us that he was fine ..."

Hiro and Max nodded in agreement, clearly remembering. Daichi peered solemnly in to his hands. He would never admit it out loud, but he had an enormous amount of respect for the Russian enigma. It was always Kai that saved him from Tyson's outbursts, offered him more food before Tyson could get a hold of it, listened to him rant and rave … he was almost like an older brother to him, his firm guidance and scolding allowing him to calm down a little from the tear-a-away he had been what he had first met the team. Of course he loved pestering and annoying Kai, after all he was still a kid. But he had a soft spot, as well as admiration for the teen that had been through so much and had managed to change for the better in a couple of years.

Tyson groaned out loud, "Leave if to old sourpuss to not say anything when he's in pain!"

"But that's how he is …" Hiro whispered, though it sounded rather loud in the quiet hospital room.

Everyone's head cast down at that statement, knowing it to be completely true. A collective sigh resounded a second later.

"Hey, how did you guys get here so fast? Kiyoko hasn't been gone for that long?" Bryan queried.

Max's brow furrowed in confusion, "Kiyoko?"

"The nurse … the one that called you here," Spencer supplied quickly, also curious as to how they had arrived at the hospital so quickly.

"Oh."

Hiro coughed slightly, drawing the attention from the lightly blushing Max, "Well, you see, we were actually on our way to check on you and Kai. You know, see if he got back from the funeral ok."

Tala frowned, "What do you mean? He was with Bryan and Spencer … of course he'd be fine."

"No, no, no. I didn't mean it in that way," the words rushed out of Hiro's mouth quickly, trying to dispel the steadily rising tension from the Russian teens, knowing they took offence extremely easily. "It's just … we ran into Lee on our way back to the dojo, and he didn't look too happy. He said something about Kai, so we decided to come by and check to see if everything was ok."

Unbeknownst to Hiro, as soon as Lee's name had been mentioned, Bryan and Spencer had tensed up, eyes narrowing dangerously. Tala, ever perceptive, caught the reaction from the side of his eyes. Turning his head, he eyed the two warily. "Bryan? Spencer? What's going on?"

Hilary, Tyson, Max, Kenny and Hiro, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, focused their attention on the elder Russian teens.

Growling ferally, Bryan shot up from his seat and stalked towards Hiro, "What did Lee say?!"

Taken aback by the anger and fury radiating off of the platinum haired teen, Hiro found himself swallowing back a gulp. "We're not too sure … he didn't even acknowledge us. I mean, one second he's in front of us, muttering something about Kai, and then Rei, and then saying something about someone being killed … and then … he's gone. He just … went running off somewhere. So, we got worried, and Hilary suggested that we go and check on Kai … just to make sure."

"He didn't say anything else?" Bryan hissed, his anger escalating dangerously high.

Hiro shook his head quickly, eyes wide. "No! Nothing."

"Are you sure?! Because if you're lying to me, then so help you!! I'll shove a fire-cracker up your ass and watch you light up the sky like the fourth of July!!"

"BRYAN!"

"WHAT!?" Bryan's head whipped round, silver eyes darkened to almost black in his rage.

Tala's eyebrow twitched, his hands forming fists in his lap, "Bryan Kuznetsov … don't 'WHAT' me! And tell me what the hell is going on?!"

Spencer sighed stiffly, getting up from his chair and stepping over towards the platinum haired teen. Placing a calming hand on a tense shoulder, he led the teen back to his chair, then sat himself down. Taking in a deep breath, Spencer released it slowly before turning his gaze towards the irate red-head, ignoring the confusion and bewilderment on the rest of the other teens faces.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it soon after, not entirely sure what to say.

"Spencer … what happened?" the calmness of Tala's voice betrayed the rage and confusion plastered across his face.

Sighing dejectedly, the blond finally spoke up, "Lee confronted Kai after the funeral."

"Why?"

"… Kai said that Lee blamed him for Rei's death … and Lee…" Spencer broke off, suddenly unsure of venturing any further in his explanation.

"Lee what, Spencer?" Tala's blood had gone deathly cold at Spencer's hesitation. He barely even felt the tension of the hand that was still placed on his arm as Hilary fought off the sense of unease that had plagued her since Lee began his speech at the funeral.

She had realised that something was wrong during the Chinese teen's speech, but played it down to him being upset. After all, a person was likely to go a bit off centre at the death of someone so close. But that sense of unease hadn't left her, only returning full-force when the group had run into Lee. It was that unease that suggested checking up on Kai.

"… Lee … Lee hit Kai."

A chorus of shocked gasps ricocheted around the room as soon as the last word left Spencer's mouth. Hiro's eyes had widened in complete and utter shock as he tried to digest the information, as did Max and Kenny's. Tyson, for once, was completely speechless, unbelieving of the fact that someone had dared hit Kai when he was injured. Daichi, however, had his jaw firmly set, teeth grinding in absolute outrage, whilst Kenny had gone deathly pale. Hilary had a hand to her mouth, her head shaking subtly, that feeling of unease assaulting her senses. Tala, on the other hand saw red immediately, ice blue eyes narrowing into mere slits and muscles coiled tightly in tension and barely suppressed fury.

"What did you say?" Tala's deep baritone shook as he fought for calm. Spencer refused to repeat what he had said, knowing the red-head would most likely go mental. Casting a furtive look towards Bryan, he was glad to note that the platinum haired teen had calmed down a bit. "SPENCER!"

Shaking his head softly, Spencer locked Tala with an intense gaze, "I'm sorry Tala … by the time we got there …"

"The fucking bastard!!" Tala hissed, "How dare he? How dare he touch Kai!" Shrugging off Hilary's hand, he ripped off his blankets and swung his feet around, placing them on the floor. "I'm gonna fucking kill him!"

Bryan and Spencer were immediately up of their feet, blocking the exit.

"Move out of the way!" a low growl escaped Tala's lips which were drawn up into a snarl.

"Tala! Stop!"

"Stay out of it Granger!" glaring vehemently at the older Granger brother, Tala refrained from launching himself at the closest person, or the next person to piss him off even more.

"What's going on here?" a soft, neutral voice sliced through the tense atmosphere, drawing attention to the speaker.

"Kiyoko?"

Said nurse poked her head around Bryan's shoulder, concern flitting across her features. "Tala, what's happened?"

Tala shook his head, calm filtering into his mind from the young nurse's presence. "Nothing, Kiyoko. Don't worry. Just some distressing news."

"Oh." Clearly not believing the red-head's response, she chose to leave it. "Well, if you say so …"

"Yeah … it's fine," Tala mumbled, heading back over to his bed and taking a seat, a deep sigh leaving his lips.

Hiro, Tyson, Max, Kenny, Daichi and Hilary gazed at the petite nurse in awe, wondering how her mere presence had calmed Tala down. It took them a few seconds to realise that they also felt unexplainably calm as well.

"How's Kai?" Spencer queried, going back to his seat, closely followed by Bryan.

"Oh yes," Kiyoko's lips lifted into a serene smile, "Surgery's going well and he's doing fine. They'll be finishing up in no time."

The teen's let the welcome news sink in for a moment, before relieved sighs and thankful smiles broke out on all their faces. Though behind Tala's genuine smile, his mind was already working, plotting against a certain Chinese blader.

'Watch your back Lee … there'll be no warning when I come for you …'

* * *

Well there ya have it! Kai's going to be fine!! Yay!! ... or is he?? -_grins evilly-_ Mwahahaha!

And don't worry, Lee will get what he's due.

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	6. Long Awaited Freedom

Hello my dears!! I am back with another update!! Whoo! So surprising considering I went missing for over half a year!! xD

Thanks goes to those lovely, lovely people who reviewed. :D Love ya, guys!

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**Disclaimer: **Seriously? What is the point?

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Chapter Six – Long Awaited Freedom

Tala sighed softly, and shuffled about on the bed a bit, trying to get comfortable without waking the slumbering teen in his arms. He froze for a moment when the body in his arms shifted, a small sigh of contentment leaving their lips, before relaxing. Much more comfortable than he had been a few seconds ago, a soft smile graced Tala's lips as he gazed down at the face resting in the crook of his neck, slumbering peacefully.

"Kai …"

The pain in his body that had once been almost unbearable, was now nothing but a dull ache that bothered him every once in a while. For that he was extremely grateful. Each scar, each flash of pain was welcomed with open arms. It served as a reminder that he was still alive, that he had survived. A bittersweet reminder of the pain that, not only had he been through, but his friends, his lover. And gazing down at the peaceful face, framed delicately with silken strands of silver hair, he knew he would willingly go through that pain a thousand times over, if only to cherish and savour these precious moments with his loved one wrapped safely in his arms.

Leaning down the slightest bit, he pressed a fleeting kiss to Kai's forehead, relishing in the smoothness of the skin. He was suddenly touched by the thought that he had almost lost this. That he had almost lost the one person that he held dearest to his heart. Swallowing, he tightened his embrace on the slim teen, somewhat reassured when he didn't disappear, remaining warm and pliant in his arms. A soft murmur floated to his ears as Kai shifted again, the one arm thrown over Tala's chest moving close to his face, clutching the soft material of the red-head's white vest.

Tala raised one hand from its place around Kai's waist and ran his fingers through silken strands, relishing in the feeling and the way that the smaller teen would unconsciously snuggle closer.

"I love you …" the emotion-laced whisper was barely inaudible in the quiet room as Tala fought back the surge of raw emotions that threatened to fall in the form of crystal tears.

Removing his fingers from Kai's hair, he threw his arm over his face as he struggled to control the emotions that had suddenly taken over. He just couldn't help it though. It was now the twentieth time in a row that shadows plagued his sleep and nightmares assaulted his subconscious. He had woken every night, a scream on the tip of his tongue as images of Kai lying dead in his arms flashed through his mind.

It had started the night after Kai had been rushed to surgery after coming back from Rei's funeral. The first week, he had woken, drenched in a cold sweat and eyes wide with fear, unable to locate his love. It was only when he had ventured into the private ICU room, where Kai was gradually recovering, and seen for himself that the younger was safe, did the fear that coursed through his veins disappear bit by bit. He had sat by his lover's bed into the early hours of the morning, one hand always holding onto a much smaller one, eyes constantly gazing into the other's face, assuring himself that he was still here.

The days after had been a little easier, as Doctor Carlisle had finally given into Tala's pleas of having Kai moved into his room, which was more than big enough. Two days after that had happened, Kai had regained full consciousness and movement of his body. The night after that, he had taken to sleeping in the same bed as his red-haired fiancé, contently perched on the other's chest. It was because of this that Tala had 

managed to calm himself a lot quickly after a nightmare. Having the other teen in his arms was enough to soothe his racing heart.

He knew that it was something that he had to learn to overcome, but it was just so difficult for him to expel all those fears from his mind. He was just so scared of losing Kai - of the younger teen being hurt by anyone. He was still fuming over the incident with Lee. He just couldn't understand how anyone could even dare raise a hand to someone like Kai. He, himself, couldn't even bare the thought of causing any single bit of harm to the one who had captured his heart. Just the thought made him sick.

He had promised himself that he would hunt the arrogant neko-jin down and teach him a very valuable lesson. He knew that Bryan and Spencer wouldn't be far behind him as well. The both of them were almost like Kai's bodyguards, glaring at anyone who even dared glance at the petite Russian and making sure that no harm came to him whilst they were around during the day. Tala suspected that by night, the duo were searching for Lee ardently.

Sighing, Tala realised that he had yet to broach the subject with Kai, and Kai hadn't mentioned it. The younger teen was well aware of the fact that Tala knew, vaguely, what had happened. And Tala knew that. It just seemed to be one of those things that neither of them were too willing to bring up. And so far, no tension had been raised because of it.

Moving to place his arm back around Kai's waist, Tala glanced down and almost jumped in shock as concerned crimson eyes gazed at him questioningly. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even been aware that the petite teen was awake.

"Tala …?" Releasing his hold on Tala's vest, Kai brought his hand up to cup the side of the red-head's face. "What's wrong?"

Fine red eyebrows drew down in a melancholic frown as he placed a hand over Kai's before leaning down and capturing the smaller teen's lips in a chaste kiss. He shook his head minutely as fear joined concern in Kai's eyes.

"Tala …"

"… nothing's wrong, Kai … just couldn't sleep …" he watched as Kai shifted in his arms, moving to lay on top of him, legs splayed out on either side of his body, and arms braced by the side of his head.

Gazing down into warm pale blue eyes, Kai felt his eyebrows draw into a frown, "You had a nightmare."

It was more of a statement than a question, and it caught Tala off guard. "How did you …?"

Leaning down, he wrapped his arms around his fiancé's neck, and rested his cheek against the other's, breathing in the deep musky scent that could only be Tala. He placed a soft kiss on the skin below the red-head's ear, delighting in the small shiver that ran through the strong form below him. "I've known ever since they started … twenty days ago …"

Tala felt his eyes go wide, Kai's soft breath tickling his ear. "Kai … I …"

Raising his head, Kai gently placed his lips over Tala's lovingly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Those soft whispered words seemed to be Tala's undoing as the red-head wrapped one arm around Kai's waist tightly, the other reaching up to bury itself in wild strands of royal blue and silver, allowing him to deepen the kiss. A soft mewl of contentment escaped Kai's lips as Tala's tongue slipped into his mouth, caressing every inch lovingly and with such passion that it left him light-headed.

Pulling back just the slightest bit, Kai panted softly, trying to regain his breath. " … I love you."

Tears prickling the back of his eyes, Tala pulled the smaller teen down for another kiss, their lips moving fluidly against each others in a display of affection as old as time itself. Shifting, Tala managed to roll Kai onto his back so that he was straddling the younger teen. Leaning back, he took time to study the flushed features of the form beneath his. From the way silken strands lay scattered against the pillow, to the way thick eyelashes framed half lidded eyes and kiss bruised lips remained slightly open and glistening. High cheek bones were dusted with the deep pink of a blush at the intense gaze.

"Tala …" Kai's voice broke off on a slight gasp as the red-head placed feather light kisses down his sensitive neck, before resting at a spot just below his right collar bone and sucking lightly. A soft moan filled the air as Tala lavished that spot with attention, the skin turning a deep red in colour.

Groaning, Kai pulled Tala back up for another kiss. He hissed in pain seconds later though, as one of Tala's hands brushed against his chest. The red-head snapped back in fear, eyes searching Kai's face in blatant concern.

"Kai…?"

Opening eyes that had clenched shut in pain, Kai soothed Tala's fear with a gentle touch to his face, which the older teen leaned into. "It's not your fault … the wound hasn't healed just yet … and my ribs are still sore."

Glancing down, Tala's eyes met the bandages that were wrapped firmly around Kai's lithe chest, concealing the large surgical cut that Tala knew would scar even when healed. The cut ran through the centre of the younger teen's chest, starting a few inches below his collar bone to just below where his ribs ended. He fingered it gently, placing a soft apologetic kiss at the very top and then placing another one of the ring that hung from the gold chain around Kai's slim neck.

Sighing after a while, he moved on to his side, Kai automatically snuggling into the crook of his neck, head cushioned by one of Tala's arms. The dual-haired teen placed a chaste kiss at the skin there, entwining his legs with Tala's and placing and arm across the other's side. They remained silent for a few minutes, each just enjoying the feel of the other pressed against them.

"You want to talk about it?" the question brought a small smile to Tala's lips, the concern in Kai's voice warming his heart.

He gazed down at the teen, before leaning in and placing a soft kiss to pouty lips. His heart constricted as he leant back, mind wondering how to voice his thoughts. "I'm just so scared of losing you …"

Kai nodded in understanding, Tala's fears rivalling his own. He pressed closer to the other teen in an attempt to reassure the both of them. "I know."

"I love you, Kai." Kai felt his heart skip a beat at the words. Even though Tala said it on a regular basis, it still touched him to hear those three words. He savoured and cherished these peaceful moments with Tala with all his heart.

"I love you, too." Tala tightened his hold around Kai at those words. "Now let's get some sleep … we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow …"

"Hm?" Tala hummed in question, confusion causing him to tilt his head as Kai let out a soft chuckle. "What?"

Smiling softly at Tala's lost expression, Kai gave into the urge and kissed the red-head lightly, pulling back before it could be deepened. "We're being released in the afternoon … you didn't forget did you?"

Tala could only grin sheepishly and nod. "Whoops?"

Kai giggled, something that he rarely did and nipped playfully at Tala's neck. "'Whoops?' … Tal, you goose."

Feigning offence, Tala leant down and proceeded to plunder Kai's mouth, eagerly swallowing the soft moans and whimpers that drove him wild with love and desire. Before he could go any further, however, Kai yawned tiredly, breaking the kiss. Pulling away with a bemused expression, Tala couldn't contain his chuckle as the younger teen blushed bright red and attempted to hide his face in his own shoulder.

"Guess we should get some sleep, huh?"

Kai nodded slightly, embarrassment still evident. "Sorry."

Shaking his head and laughing with mirth, Tala snuggled down and gathered the petite teen into his arms, placing a kiss to his temple. "Go to sleep baby."

Sighing contently, Kai nodded sleepily, drifting off quickly, feeling safe, secure and protected in the arms of his fiancé. Tala watched the slumbering teen for a few minutes, his heart undoubtedly lighter than it had been before this night, before he too drifted off, joining Kai in Morpheus' domain.

...

Groaning, Tala turned his head away, something soft tickling the side of his face. It left him momentarily, which he was grateful for, but returned seconds later. Wrinkling his nose, Tala lethargically opened his eyes, his vision blurry for a split-second before focusing on a softly smiling teen curled up against his side, a strand of Tala's own red hair held in his left hand. Despite still being tired, the older teen smiled and shifted the teen from his side and onto his chest, content when the smaller teen tucked his head under his chin.

"Morning baby," Tala croaked, his hand running though silky smooth strands of royal blue and silver hair.

Kai hummed his comfort, fingers toying with the chain at his neck, fingering the stunning ruby ring attached to it. "Morning."

They lapsed into a peaceful silence, each just listening to the other breathing. They didn't need words to feel comfortable; all they needed was each other. Sunlight filtered into the room, gently warming the teens on the bed. A soft knock resounded through the quiet room, causing both to gaze curiously at the door.

Glancing at each other briefly, Tala called out a quick, "Come in."

A petite girl poked her head around the side of the door, a smile spreading across her face at the sight of both Tala and Kai snuggled up together. "Now isn't this just the cutest thing."

Tala chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest, causing Kai to squirm a bit. "Hey Kiyoko."

"Morning boys," her smile quirked up into a small grin as she almost skipped into the room, eyeing the two with barely concealed giddiness.

Kai raised an eyebrow questionably, a small smile on his face as he sat up from Tala's chest, said teen more than a little reluctant to let him go. It took a well aimed poke at the red-head's forehead before Kai could swing his long legs over the side of the bed and stand up, stretching. Leaning forward, he accepted Kiyoko's embrace easily, placing a small kiss on her cheek before stepping away and moving towards the bathroom. He paused however, when Tala let out a petulant little whine. A cheeky grin placed on his lips, Kai turned to find Tala glaring at him, which didn't seem to have the same effect combined with a cute pout.

Snickering softly, Kai let out a dramatic sigh before complying with the elder's wishes and stepping back to peck him on the lips. "Baby." He muttered tenderly, throwing a mock exasperated look towards Kiyoko who giggled. Ignoring the smouldering look sent his way, he hurried to the bathroom.

"You love me really!" Tala yelled out happily, sitting up and leaning his back against the headboard.

From behind the bathroom door, Kai laughed, "Keep telling yourself that, Tal. Maybe one day it'll come true!" Tala screwed his face into a frown, tongue sticking out childishly. "And put that tongue back in your mouth before I do it for you!

Eyebrows' waggling suggestively, Tala was about to let lose a mischievous retort before Kiyoko promptly hit him upside the head with a pillow. "Mind out of the gutter, Tala."

Sniffing dramatically and sticking out his lower lip in an attempt at innocence, Tala gazed at Kiyoko. "But, 'Yoko, he's such a tease!!"

"Baka." Rolling her eyes, she affectionately patted the red haired teen on the head and giggled. Ever since the night of Kai's surgery, the young, petite nurse had formed a close bond with the Russian team and their friends, and to her surprise, had been welcomed and treated like a friend from the very beginning. She loved visiting the two injured teen's whenever she could, basking in their presence and laughing at their antics. She had never felt so comfortable around people than she did with them, and it confused her a little, but she didn't really want to question it.

"Two against one!" shrieked Tala indignantly, a ridiculous pouty expression on his face.

Loud booming laughter filled the room as Spencer and Bryan, who had just stepped through the door, took one look at Tala's face. Reddening swiftly in embarrassment, Tala pulled Kiyoko down in front of him in an attempt to hide himself. Squeaking at being man-handled so suddenly, Kiyoko found her hair completely covering her face. Huffing and pushing her hair back, whilst trying to coax some order back into it, she scooted away from the red-head and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Said red-head shrugged sheepishly before throwing a glare over towards the two older Russians.

"Tala, was that an attempt at being endearing?" Bryan managed to ask after controlling his laughter.

"One more word … just one more word Kuznetsov, and you're dead," Tala growled playfully.

"Boo." Smirking idiotically, Bryan had to refrain from another outburst of laughter as Tala launched himself out of the bed and towards him, only to be grabbed around the waist by Spencer half way, effectively holding him in mid-air.

Kai stepped back into the room in time to see Bryan laughing hysterically, almost on the verge of rolling around on the floor, Kiyoko desperately trying to stifle her giggles, Tala struggling in Spencer's hold, and said blond guffawing loudly at the red-head's attempts. Rolling his eyes to the heavens, Kai smiled softly. This more than amusing scene came to a halt as soon as the occupants of the room noticed Kai's presence.

It took all but one second for Tala to be thrown ungracefully back on to his bed, and Kai to be 'smooshed' by his two self-proclaimed body guards, loud proclamations of "Kai!" and "Fluff-ball!" echoing loudly around the room. Said 'fluff-ball' felt an eyebrow twitch before he reigned in any means of retaliation and hugged the two larger teens back, whilst attempting the very menial task of breathing.

Fortunately for him, both older teens were distracted by the opening of the door. Instinctively releasing their hold on Kai, they whipped around and glared at the person standing in the door-way, who more than a little frightened for his life, raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Doctor Carlisle," Tala greeted, disentangling himself from the bed he had been 'oh-so-gently' placed upon. Shooting a glare at the two older Russian teens, who merely shrugged sheepishly, he stood. "So … when the hell are we getting out of here then?"

Snorting derisively, the doctor tsked, "That eager to get away from us?"

The red-head spluttered slightly, shaking his head, Kiyoko placing a pitiful hand upon his shoulder. "No! It's just that I hate doctors and hospitals, an-" One look at the kind doctor had Tala desperately trying to justify what he had just said. "Of course you're an exception! All the rest of them are idiots!"

Spencer and Bryan tried to stifle their laughter as Kai shook his head and sauntered over to his spluttering fiancé. Leaning up on tip-toes, he let his lips linger just behind Tala's ear, barely millimetres away, before they curved into a small smirk, "Just keep digging that grave, Tal … and they might do me the favour of sticking you in the 'Psych Ward'."

Kiyoko giggled, watching as Tala's complexion slowly started resembling the colour of his hair. "Kai!! I wasn't … I mean, it wasn't meant to offend anyone!"

Kai interrupted him with soft laughter, snorting ruefully at the utterly lost look on his fiancé's face. "Ever the articulate one, aren't you Tal?" Snickering at Tala's flushed face as he realised that everyone was laughing at him. He rolled his eyes as said red-head aimed an embarrassed glare at the guffawing Russians and the giggling nurse, before turning to face Doctor Carlisle, who had a more than amused expression on his face. "So, Doc, when do we get released?"

"As soon as you want, I guess. I just need you to sign the release forms, and you two are good to go," smiling fondly at the petite dual-haired teen, Doctor Carlisle continued, "But …"

Kai froze at this, an almost silent '_I knew it!'_ leaving his lips.

"… I'll be sending Kiyoko with you as a personal nurse until she's deemed you both healthy enough for a final check-up."

The lavender hair nursed gasped in surprise, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open. Bryan and Spencer, who had managed to calm their laughter after not-too-subtle hints of death from Tala, smirked and nodded at each other slyly which went unnoticed by all, bar Doctor Carlisle. Kai and Tala merely raised an eyebrow in surprise, entirely welcoming to the idea.

"Really?" the almost breathless question came from Kiyoko, who looked as if she would keel over at any second.

Nodding lightly, Doctor Carlisle smiled, "Of course. I expect you to check up on them daily."

"Which won't be a problem as you'll be moving in with the happy couple," Spencer supplied, tilting his head and winking at the nurse.

A small squeak sounded from Kiyoko at the same time Kai half-blanched and Tala uttered a wholly surprised, "Wtf!?"

"That is if they don't mind." Shooting a pointed look towards Tala and Kai, Spencer was glad that they were in immediate agreement. "And until that final check-up, both Bryan and I will be staying too!"

This time Kai did blanch, "But we don't have the room! I mean, my flat only has two bedrooms, and your flat only has three, an-" He was quickly cut off by a hand to his mouth as Bryan effortlessly moved forward.

"Well you see …" Suddenly halting in mid-sentence, Bryan shook his head and grinned, "Nah. You _will_ see." Ruffling Kai's hair, he latched onto Kiyoko's arm and proceeded to pull the still shocked nurse out of the room, Spencer following quickly behind.

Shooting annoyed, suspicious glares at the retreating backs, Tala and Kai could only glance at each other hopelessly.

"There goes our privacy …" muttered Tala in mock-despair, grinning at Kai with a half-lecherous look.

Huffing indignantly, Kai elbowed his lover in the ribs, satisfied with the "Ooof!" that accompanied it. Turning to the doctor, who had an eyebrow raised in amusement, Kai smiled, "So … release papers?"

Nodding and returning a smile of his own, Doctor Carlisle turned to leave the room, "I'll just go and get them for you."

Once the doctor had gone, Tala immediately pounced on his shorter other, nuzzling his face into silken hair and breathing in the unique, exotic scent. "Freedom!"

Returning the impromptu embrace whole-heartedly, Kai tucked his head under the taller's chin comfortably, only to squeak uncharacteristically and attempt to jump away when Tala's hands roamed low and squeezed his ass, "Tala you baka!"

The next few minutes were filled with hysterical laughter followed by threats of castration and nights on the couch, then … "Just one more grope …"

"TALA!"

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_-snickers_- Writing the last part was ... fun! Teehee. Love messing around with Tala and Kai!!

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	7. After Confinement

Hello my dears!

Thanks go out to all of those who have reviewed!! -_glomps-_ Your opinions mean so much to me!! _-hands out cookies-_

Now, without further ado: Chapter Seven!!

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Chapter Seven – After Confinement

Grinning, Kai pushed the hospital doors open, a blast of cool autumn air caressing his cheeks and sending strands of silky silver and royal blue hair flitting sensually about his face. He smiled softly when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind, and leant back in the embrace, forgiving of the incident that had happened just before they had received the release papers and signed them, giving them the freedom they desired with all their heart.

"Glad to be out?" Tala's voice whispered against the nape of his neck, sending slight shivers down his spine in pleasurable waves.

"Ecstatic," Kai mumbled, spinning around in the embrace quickly and placing a soft, fleeting kiss on Tala's welcoming lips.

Tala pulled back reluctantly, arms still wrapped possessively around Kai's slim waist when wolf-whistling made itself known in his ears. Glaring at the grinning duo of Spencer and Bryan, he rolled his eyes and looked off to the side, muttering something about 'drowning the big lugs in a river somewhere ...'. Well something along those lines. Kai settled for a blank expression, choosing to ignore his fiancé's muttered statement.

"Where's Kiyoko?" quirking an eyebrow in question, Kai tried to gaze over Bryan's shoulder in an attempt to catch sight of the petite nurse.

"She's coming in a second," the sound of metallic doors hissing open signalled said girl's arrival. "Speaking of the devil."

Kiyoko shot Bryan a warning look before turning to grin at both Kai and still somewhat sulky Tala. "You guys ready to go?"

Kai nodded gently, "When you moving in?"

Tapping a slender finger to her chin in thought, Kiyoko looked up to the sky, "Erm ... I'll have to let my brother know first, of course ... but I should be more or less moved in by this evening ..." she trailed off, grinning slyly at Bryan and Spencer, who smirked in return.

Kai frowned, tensing slightly in Tala's arms who snapped back to reality. Noticing the silent signals being sent around them, he too frowned. "Ok ... what's going on?"

Spencer snorted, shaking his head innocently, "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Because I know you two too well to not suspect something ..." Tala countered swiftly, not liking the way Bryan was subtly trying to shove a soon-to-be giggling Kiyoko out of sight. Fixing the three in front of him with a bored glare, he tightened his hold around Kai tenderly. "Spill."

Bryan grinned, snorting out loud, "Nope."

Before Tala could say something in return, Kai sighed and shook his head, "Whatever ... I just wanna go home and get some sleep." Four pairs of eyes immediately fixed upon him, concern shining radiantly in their depths. Slightly startled at the intensity of the stares, Kai shied away from them, backing firmly in Tala's chest more than possibly thought. "I'm fine you guys … just a little tired is all."

A few seconds later, Tala nodded in understanding, mind flicking back to what had happened during the very early hours of the morning, and if he was honest with himself, he could easily admit that he was exhausted and wouldn't mind just getting home and dropping off to sleep. "There's just one problem though ..."

"Hm?"

"Who's house are we staying at?"

Bryan, Spencer and Kiyoko subtly sunk into the background, even though they were thoroughly ignored as Tala addressed Kai on the matter.

Pausing for a moment in thought, Kai titled his head to the side adorably, "Well ... I'm not too keen on going back to Rei's and my flat ... I mean, all his stuff has been sent off and it'll be quite disturbing being there without his stuff there."

"Don't worry, that's fine ..." Tala hummed thoughtfully, unconsciously placing a kiss on the top of Kai's head, "Then I guess we'll be staying at my flat ... which is actually more convenient than not. Bryan and Spencer already have their stuff there, and they could easily share a room to make space for Kiyoko, and you could move into my room."

Kai nodded in agreement, "Yeah ... then all I have to do is just go and get my stuff ..."

It was then that Spencer, Bryan and Kiyoko decided to make their presence known again, Spencer quickly jumping in to the conversation, "No need for that Kai, we took the liberty of going to your flat and getting all your things."

Kai smiled, "Thanks Spenc."

"No problem fluff-ball!" Bryan chirped happily, easily ignoring Kai's twitch of the eyebrow. "So ... all ready to go?"

Everyone nodded their agreement, Kai still shooting Bryan a sour look, indignant at being called 'fluff-ball'.

"Then I guess I'll see you guys later," stepping forward, she all but pulled a startled Kai out of Tala's vice-like grip and hugged him goodbye. Smiling apologetically at the red-head, she gathered him into her arms and hugged him. Her expression changed almost suddenly as soon as she stepped back though, half-scaring Tala and Kai who stared at her wearily. "Now! If I hear that anything's happened between the span of now and when I arrive at your flat and NONE of you have let me know ... there'll be HELL to pay!! Understand?" She smiled sweetly at the end of her little tirade, waiting for the two teens in front of her to nod, which they did so vigorously.

Bryan snickered to the side, "That Kiyoko sure is different ... she seems almost as emotionally and mentally unstable as us."

Spencer hummed in agreement, a smirk playing at his lips. "She's quite intimidating too."

Cocking his head to the side, Bryan found himself nodding in acquiescence. "Funny that. She's really tiny."

Scoffing slightly, Spencer rolled his eyes, "She's almost the same height as Kai ... it must be some common gene in short people ... I mean just look at her death glare!! In a few years it has the potential to put Kai's to 

shame!" Snickering, Spencer raised an eyebrow as Kai glared at him, obviously hearing his last sentence. "Yup, they're both short, petite, intimidating and too damn cute for their own good!"

Kiyoko immediately turned an icy gaze towards Spencer and Bryan, silencing them in an instant, "And if I hear that you two have allowed them to do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, apart from walk, talk, breathe, eat and sleep, so help you!!"

Spencer and Bryan swallowed nervously, feeling insignificantly small all of a sudden, and nodded meekly. Kiyoko broke out into a wide grin at their answer, startling the Russians teens and causing them to question her sanity ... or lack of it.

"Good! Now that's sorted, I can get back to work!" giggled quietly, she reached forwards and gathered all the teen's into a bone-crushing hug, though mindful of Kai's still tender injuries. "I'll see you guys later on!" Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she skipped off and waved from the door before disappearing inside swiftly.

Tala, Kai, Spencer and Bryan stared after her with wide eyes.

"Bye ..."

Rolling his eyes, Spencer hit Bryan upside the head.

"Ow!"

Sighing, Tala gently took a hold of Kai's hand and led him over to Spencer's Land Rover in the nearly empty car park, the blond and Bryan, rubbing his sore head, following close behind. The four piled into the car quickly, Spencer taking the driver's seat, Bryan the passenger seat and Kai and Tala snuggling up in the back. With one last glance in his rear-view mirror at the couple, Spencer smiled and peeled out of the hospital car park and towards the main road.

...

It took a few minutes for Tala and Kai to realise that the direction they were heading in, was the complete opposite to where they were meant to be going. Shooting each other looks of confusion, the gazed out of the window at the passing scenery that was so different to what they were expecting. Bryan smirked at the two from where he was sitting in the back, absolutely loving the confusion plastered across both of their faces.

"Something wrong?" he asked innocently, absently dusting fluff off of his shoulder.

Kai blinked, and then nodded, "Bry, where are we?"

Spencer chuckled, glancing at the two via the rear-view mirror, "We're nearly at our house ... well, your house actually."

Quirking an eyebrow, Tala frowned, "What are you guys talking about? Who's house? ... I thought we were all going back to the flat, and that's on the other side of town. We agreed upon that before we left the hospital."

Bryan and Spencer shared a look, grinning slightly as they ignored Tala's questions and continued looking out of the windshield. Said red-head growled slightly at being ignored, none to happy with the fact that the two larger Russians were taking them somewhere he didn't know ... and with Kai still injured as well.

Glancing down, he tightened his hold around Kai's waist, allowing the smaller teen to sink into his side contently, head tucking smoothly under Tala's chin, though a look of utter bewilderment danced across his face the longer he gazed curiously out of the window. The two puzzled teens remained quiet for the next few minutes, wondering where the hell they were going and why.

Their answer arrived soon enough as Spencer swiftly pulled into a long driveway attached to a beautiful two-storey house with Chalfont bricks and a terracotta roof, surrounded by an immaculately pristine front garden. The blonde and Bryan merely grinned, watching the two simultaneous surprised reactions.

"Bry, Spenc ... what is this?" Kai tore his gaze away from the beautiful house and raised an eyebrow at the two older teens in question.

Bryan smiled softly, reaching around to ruffle Kai's hair affectionately, "Both your and Tala's new home."

Icy blue and fiery crimson eyes widened in complete shock.

"Are you guys serious?" Tala managed to splutter out, casting an amazed look back towards the house, seeming to drink in every single little detail.

The two larger teens nodded, smirking at one another as they moved to get out of the car. Tala and Kai, slightly startled at the sudden reaction, all but leapt out of the car, barely remembering to close the door before giving chase to the other teens that had started down the path towards the front door.

Upon entering the house, Kai and Tala could only gape in unrestrained awe. The hallway was lined with numerous pictures of all the teams that they had encountered over the past years, and the friends that they had managed to keep. The most striking picture was one of them all together before the championship at BEGA, with Bryan and Spencer towering over Tala and Kai, who had poked Ian innocently when the picture had been taken.

Surrounded by a thick border of gold, Kai and Tala could feel their heart ache slightly at the absence of Ian in their everyday lives. The youngest member of their team had gone off into the world, claiming that he needed to find his place in life before he could finally be happy with himself and the way he was. He had promised to contact them and call them whenever he was on the move, and he had done ... if only for the first two weeks. After that, the calls had stopped and the teenagers could only wait for that phone call to come, or for the younger teen to make an appearance. So far they had waited for almost a year and they were starting to despair.

Tearing their gaze away from the walls, Kai and Tala found their eyes glued to the rest of their surroundings. The floor was a deep, plush red wine with simplistic creamy designs entailed, and the wall a rich, warm cream bordered with ivory that gave the place an almost regal atmosphere.

The hallway there were standing in, had rich chestnut doors leading off to various other rooms, whilst leading onto a large circular room via an arched doorway. Stairs occupied the left side of this room as they wound their way up to the second floor, following the smooth curve of the wall. Gingerly stepping into the large room with wide curious eyes, Kai allowed his gaze to linger over the many cream and red sofas and futons scattered about the room seemingly randomly, yet all surrounding an ornate wooden coffee table. The windows in the back of the room looked out on to a huge garden that had various different breeds of wildflowers dotted about in lush green grass. The right side of the room led onto a smaller hallway, and before Kai could creep forward to check it out, a large hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

Glancing back, he smiled softly at Bryan and Spencer and moved to hug them, watching as Tala gazed around the room with barely concealed wonder. He turned towards the three embracing teens, shaking his head slightly in amazement.

"How did you guys get this place?" his voice came out as a gruff whisper, emotions threatening to get the best of him.

Bryan and Spencer stepped out of Kai's embrace and smirked, clapping the red-haired teen on the back. "Let's just say we managed to pull a few strings ... with Mr Dickinson's help of course."

Kai tilted his head to the side adorably, wide eyes blinking in confusion. "But why?"

Spencer chuckled, ruffling Kai's hair and ignoring the indignant pout forming on full lips as he answered the question. "It's our early wedding gift to you guys." Watching as Kai's eyes started to tear up, he ran a large hand down a smooth cheek. "You're our brothers, and we want you to be happy. You deserve it."

Heart almost overwhelmed with emotion, Tala strode forward to embrace the platinum haired teen who had been grinning at him from behind Kai. "Thank you guys." He inclined his head towards Spencer who now had his arms full of a slightly emotional Kai. "Both of you ..."

Bryan snickered, "No problem. You're paying as back by letting us live with you."

Tala and Kai smiled, laughing softly. "Just make us one promise you guys ..." Bryan and Spencer gazed at the two, causing Kai to snigger slightly as he let the rest of the words flow out of his mouth. "... never ... and I mean NEVER ... attempt to cook in MY kitchen."

The two larger teens flushed in embarrassment, their failures as cooks causing them to stutter and rub the back of their necks in slight humiliation. "No problem!"

Tala laughed outright, only to 'eep' as Kai turned his crimson gaze on him. "And that goes for you too mister." Tala had the decency to look mildly insulted.

"I can cook! I make you coffee every morning!"

Kai smiled and rolled his eyes. "Fine. You guys can make coffee, and cereal, and anything else that doesn't require an oven, stove or toaster to be cooked. Capiche?"

The three teens nodded happily at that, more than willing to mooch of Kai when the teen bothered to cook … which was more often that not. It also helped that the petite Russian was an absolutely amazing cook.

"Um … by the way," Kai hesitated, eyes growing curious again as he glanced down the dark hallway to the right. "What's down there? Is it the kitchen?"

Bryan and Spencer risked a look at each other before a smirk found its way on to their lips. "Erm … yeah. Why don't you go and check it out."

Kai couldn't stop the huge grin that plastered itself across his face as soon as he had heard confirmation that one of favourite rooms in any house was just a hallway away. Eagerly latching onto Tala's hand, the exuberant teen all but ran, dragging an amused Tala behind him, down the dark hallway. Reaching a heavy door, he barely stopped, instead using his free hand to grab the knob and twist it open.

"SURPRISE!" the thunderous and all around unexpected sound had Kai letting out an uncharacteristic shriek and clinging onto Tala for dear life. Said red-head had jumped the slightest bit, his eyes widening to twice their normal size as he took in the large amount of people gathered in their new kitchen, grins plastered on every face, one arm automatically wrapping itself around slim shoulders protectively.

Deep chuckles could be heard behind his back and he turned to see Bryan and Spencer ambling leisurely down the hallway, broad grins plastered across their faces.

"I see you found our other little surprise."

Before Kai had the chance to reply, he was swiftly removed from Tala's side by small nimble hands and hugged tightly around his middle, a face burying itself in his right shoulder. He looked down and smiled at the sight of glossy brown hair and lifted his arms to wrap around the slim girl in his arms.

"Hey, Hil," he whispered softly, one hand running through her hair tenderly.

The brunette glanced up, a jovial smile on her lips as she kissed him on the cheek. "It's good to have you back, Kai." She cooed softly, then let one hand reach out and snag the front of Tala's jacket. "You too, Tala."

The icy blue eyed teen merely smiled softly and nodded his head, reaching around Kai and hugging the girl as well. They stepped back after a few seconds, only to be surrounded by the various bladers that had come to see them.

Daichi shyly toed the carpet, glancing up at Kai every few seconds before giving launching himself at the dual-haired teen, startling him somewhat until he smiled, returning the embrace gently. Max, with his ever bright grin on his face and his customary giggle, hugged both teens and skipped off to get some food. Tyson, after bidding them a short, though enthusiastic "Good to have ya back!" ran off towards the table and proceeded to pile his plate full of treats and snacks. Tala and Kai couldn't help but laugh at the World Champion, praying that he wouldn't change.

Hiro coughed awkwardly, unsure of how to greet the teens, before Kai sighed dramatically and grabbed the eldest Granger brother and hugged him, stating that he was basically family, whilst Tala, feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable as he wasn't as accustomed to the grey-haired man's presence, patted him on the back appreciatively.

It took the two a further ten minutes to greet the other bladers that had showed up, which included The Majestic's (Kai was obviously pleased with their presence, having put aside his rivalry for Johnny a long time ago), the members of BEGA (Tala had growled slightly at Brooklyn, feelings of malcontent resurfacing for a few seconds until he realised that the quiet teen meant no harm ... it didn't mean that his arm could leave its protective hold around Kai's waist though) and three members of the White Tiger X.

As soon as Tala had caught sight of Mariah, Gary and Kevin, he had immediately tensed up, muscles poised in anticipation as his eyes roamed the room wildly for any sign of their captain. A feral growl had escaped his lips, much to the concern of Kai, when the black-haired neko-jin was nowhere to be found. Bryan and Spencer were hardly better off as they stalked the room, eyes meticulously scanning the room as a precaution, though outwardly, they looked relaxed.

Kai found himself hesitating somewhat when the three teens approached them, looking slightly haggard and tired, but as soon as Mariah had smiled up at him tiredly, he felt his hesitation melt away quickly as he gathered the girl up into his arms, which she gratefully accepted, nuzzling the side of his face with a faint 

purr. Gary and Kevin stayed back, a small quirk of their lips and a soft greeting more than welcomed by the crimson eyed youth.

Once all the greetings had been dealt with and Bryan and Spencer had discreetly checked the room, the 'Welcome Home' party got into full swing, music blaring from speakers and alcohol distributed amongst the guests. Everything was brought through to the main living area though, as Tyson accidentally started a small fire by leaning back against the stove which had paper plates placed on top.

It was about two hours after the party had started did Kai begin to feel slightly overwhelmed. Head throbbing slightly, he gently pulled away from Tala's embrace and placed a quick kiss on his lips before getting up and walking back down the hallway to the kitchen, the red-head watching him go with concern shining in his eyes. He was distracted though, when a VERY drunk Johnny decided it would be fun to strip of his shirt and attempt to hang from the chandelier.

...

Kai sighed, rubbing his arms slightly, the temperature having dropped a couple of degrees in the empty kitchen. His chest felt extremely tender and somewhat tight as he rubbed at it absent-mindedly. Gazing out of a large window, a soft smile touched his lips as he took in the sight of the clear night sky, the soothing glimmer of a million stars calming his mind a bit. With a cursory glance back down the hallway, he found himself moving towards the garden doors and pushing them open.

A chilly breeze swept over his body, making him shiver as he stepped out onto lush green grass. He stood where he was for a while, eyes closed as he let the calmness of the night wash over him. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, the slight throbbing in his head dimming down to almost nothing. It was nights like these that Kai relished – the peace and tranquility always bringing him calm.

Crimson eyes open slowly as Kai stretched, gazing around the large garden curiously. His eyes stopped suddenly though as a black shadow flitted through the grass, appearing large and ominous in the light of the moon. A cold shiver ran down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention as the shadow flickered again, moving closer to where he was standing. Eyes frantically looking around, he desperately tried to locate the thing moving around, heart beating wildly in his chest.

Seemingly out of nowhere, an arm reached around and slammed into his tender chest, drawing him back into a solid body. Before he could gasp out in pain, another clamped over his mouth, effectively silencing him. He could feel his body being dragged backwards into a secluded area of the garden, shrouded by a large tree. He felt his blood freeze as warm breath washed over his left ear, a dark sinister laugh escaping his captor.

"Finally decided to step out … Hiwatari." Eyes widening as he recognized Lee's deep, haughty voice, Kai started to struggle, trying desperately to ignore the stabs of pain shooting through his chest as he fought to get away from the one behind him. His weakened state however, proved no match for the strong neko-jin who merely scoffed and tugged the teen tighter against his chest, a feral growl escaping on a hiss. "Don't move or I'll kill you quickly!"

A soft whimper passed through Kai's lips at the threat, the tight pressure on his chest replaced by the cold sharpness of a knife on his slender neck. Glancing down fearfully, Kai could barely control the shivers that threatened to race through his body at the sight of the huge blade, the fight immediately seeping out of him.

Feeling his captive's body go lax, Lee grinned darkly, teasing the deadly sharp blade over pale skin, "Good. Now … I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth and you're going to stay quiet, got that?"

Kai nodded slowly, all too aware of the blade caressing the skin of his throat. He could feel himself slowly losing control of his already irregular breathing, panic settling heavily in his mind and chest.

As soon as the hand had been released from his mouth, Kai took in a lungful of cold air, trying, though unsuccessfully, to calm his erratic breathing. "What are you doing here?"

Lee hummed as if in thought, head tilted to the side behind the petite Russian, "I'm here to kill you … to make you experience the pain that Rei went thorough … to experience the pain that _I'm_ going through you son of a bitch!!"

Kai choked back a gasp as the blade pressed into his skin slightly, slicing open the flesh shallowly and drawing a few drops of blood. His body shook uncontrollably, his eyes frantically darting around as his heart called out for help desperately.

...

Tala frowned; concern building up within him as his eyes systematically strayed to his watch. He felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck prickle uncomfortably as a wave of anxiety washed over him. Standing up from his place on the sofa, and interrupting what Hilary was saying, he quickly weaved his way through the throng of bodies and headed towards the kitchen. Eyes quickly searching the room, he realized that Kai was not there. A sense of apprehension tickled his senses as ice blue eyes landed on the open garden doors.

"Kai?" something frozen seemed to clutch at his heart when there was no answer. "Kai!?"

Out in the garden, Lee froze, muscles taunt and tense as Tala's voice carried out into the still night air. When the sound of footsteps approaching made itself known, the Chinese teen hissed almost inaudibly, shoving the trembling teen away from him, one last threat leaving his lips before he disappeared, "Tell anyone … and Tala will be dead within 24 hours."

Hitting the ground hardly, Kai hissed in pain, before curling up around himself, one hand flying to the shallow cut on his neck which was bleeding sluggishly, already drenching the front of his shirt in the sticky crimson liquid. The other hand lay on his chest tenderly as his breathes came out in harsh, desperate gasps, a panic attack quickly consuming him.

His breathing quickened dangerously until he could barely breathe, his body trembling as he clenched his hands into fists, desperately trying to calm down, but to no avail. Strained tears trailed down his cheeks as his breath came out in harsh gasps that wracked his chest and had pain shooting through his already weakened body.

He didn't hear the loud gasp from behind him, or the footsteps that ran towards him. Eyes clenched shut, he let out a choked sob as warm, strong arms wrapped around his lithe frame gently. A deep tenor resonated in his ear, soothing, calming. Fists forced to unclench, Kai willed his eyes to open. As soon as crimson eyes looked onto worried ice blue, his breathing immediately seemed to calm a little.

"Ta ... la?"

The red-head trembled, clutching Kai's smaller body to his own protectively, desperately trying to calm the other down, tears touching the back of his eyes as he watched the other cry, burying his face into Tala's neck.

It was a feel minutes later that Kai's erratic breathing had regulated, slim body shuddering every once in a while as his arms clung to Tala as if the older Russian was his only life-line. His tears had abated, yet he kept 

his face firmly tucked into the crook of Tala's neck, comforted by the strong solid heartbeat under his ear. He could feel the soft kiss pressed to his forehead as Tala finally shifted, standing up carefully with him cradled to his chest.

"Tala?"

"Shhh ... don't worry baby. I'm here."

Kai's arms tightened around Tala's neck as the red-head walked back towards the house. Dark fury built up within the older teen's chest at whoever had dared lay a hand on his fiancé. Deep down, he just knew it was the elusive Chinese youth that had hurt Kai the day of Rei's funeral. The teen was the reason behind Kai nearly dying then!!

His anger dissipated almost immediately though, as Kai whimpered into his neck. Barely breaking stride, he gazed down at the teen in his arms, his heart clenching at the blood trailing down the slim neck and staining his shirt. When he had first caught sight of the teen, he had feared that he was dying, the amount of blood terrifying him, but as soon as he had seen that the cut was shallow, he had instinctively gathered the boy into his arms.

Sighing, Tala stepped back through the doors leading into the kitchen. He cast one last furtive look back around the garden, fear coursing through his veins at the thought that Lee was still lurking about close by. He shoved the emotion to the back of his mind, focusing on more important things.

With a sense of dread, he suddenly realized that he couldn't carry Kai up to their bedroom, as he didn't even know where it was, and to make matters worse, the only way up to the second floor, was through the living area, which was currently filled with joyous teenagers, most of them quite drunk.

Growling at the predicament, he hesitated in the middle of the kitchen, Kai still cradled impossibly close to his chest. Pursing his lips together, he steeled his mind, coming up with a decision. He had to tend to Kai's wound immediately and check on his healing ribs and chest. Shifting the teen in his arms slightly, he walked down the hallway and shouldered the door to the living room open.

As soon as he had stepped foot in the room, Bryan and Spencer were by his side, frightened concern plastered across their faces as they caught sight of Kai, who had fallen asleep in the safe cocoon of Tala's arms. Said red haired teen shook his head minutely, mouthing a 'Later' to the two of them. Swallowing, the larger teen's nodded, Spencer reaching out a hand to brush away stray strands of silver hair.

That's when the screams began. Hilary, who had noted Kai's hasty disappearance, followed by Tala's minutes later had been keeping an eye on the door heading to the kitchen. She had only looked away for a few minutes to convince a hyper-active Max that he was to stay away from any more alcohol. When she had turned her gaze back to the door, it was only to see a frightfully pale Tala clutching Kai's bloodied body in his arms with Bryan and Spencer flanking either side of them worriedly. Heart clenching painfully in alarm, she had screamed, shooting away from where she stood beside the stairs and towards the Russian teens, as well as alerting everyone else in the room of what was going on.

It took fifteen minutes for Bryan to calm down the anxious bladers who were eyeing Kai fearfully, terrified for the slate-haired teen. It took a further ten minutes to assure them that everything would be taken care of and that the best thing they could do for the moment was go home. It was another five before everyone, apart from Hilary had filed out of the house, all in states of shock, denial and fear.

During the time it had taken Bryan to convince the others to go home, whilst attempting to maintain his murderous rage, Spencer had quickly taken Tala up to the second floor, showing the teen their room, before running off to fetch the first aid kit in the bathroom. Hilary had trailed after them shakily, never once allowing her eyes to leave Kai's form. She remained quiet as Tala stripped Kai of his shirt, using it to apply pressure to the shallowly bleeding wound until Spencer returned, distress pinching his features.

As soon as Spencer had returned, he had immediately set to work cleaning and bandaging Kai's wound, then proceeding to unravel the bandages around the smaller teen's chest to check up on his healing cut, before rewrapping them and bundling the still sleeping teen into a blanket.

It was only when Tala, Bryan, Spencer and herself were gathered together in Tala and Kai's room, watching the slumbering teen fretfully, did she let the tears fall.

...

Growling ferally, Lee allowed himself to rest on a large tree branch less than a mile from the Russian's house, a dark, satisfied smile flickering across his lips. "I am going to make you pay Kai. For everything … _everything_ that you've put us through … put _me_ through." The smile disappeared from his lips, "You took away the one person I loved…"

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Gah! That has to be the longest chapter I've ever written!! -_slumps down in exhaustion- _I hope it was all worth it though. :D

Review?


	8. How Can I Tell You?

Hello my dears!!

I would like to thank all of those who reviewed, and I have made a conscious effort to reply to you all, because your reviews really do mean a lot to me. _-hands out cookies and a Kai plushie-_ But please, if you do review, can you sign in or at least leave me an email address that I can get back to. Thanks!!

On to Chapter Eight!! Enjoy!

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Chapter Eight – How Can I Tell You?

Tala sighed gently, casting one look back towards the bed where Kai lay curled up, soft sniffles escaping his slim frame once in a while, before shutting the door behind him and slumping down the stairs to the living room, which Hilary had swiftly tidied up in means of distracting herself. She now sat passively on one of the smaller sofas, Kiyoko seated next to her, both pale with blood shot eyes.

Kiyoko had arrived about ten minutes after Bryan had managed to clear the house, bags in her hands, which were quickly dropped to the floor, forgotten as Spencer informed her on what had happened. Within seconds, she had shot up the stairs towards the bedroom that Kai was in and was surreptitiously checking the teen over, ignoring the protests that Spencer had already done so. It was more to reassure herself than anyone else.

Bryan was pacing the room, a dark aura emanating off of him, a feral glare plastered across his features. He didn't even notice Tala's appearance as the red-head finally touched off the last step and collapsed into a heap on one of the many sofas. Spencer was at his side immediately, a careful hand placed on his shoulder before he drew the other into a much needed embrace.

Bryan, finally noticing Tala's presence, halted in his pacing and made a beeline towards him, biting his lower lip, rage replaced by concern. Hilary and Kiyoko looked up as he spoke. "How is he?"

Pulling away from Spencer's comforting embrace, he shook his head, a shuddering breath escaping him as he buried his face in his hands. "He's asleep."

Bryan nodded stiffly, resuming his pacing, until he let out a growl. "We have to go after the bastard!"

Spencer frowned, "We're not even sure if it's him ..."

Scoffing angrily, Bryan whipped around to face the burly blond. "Of course it was him! Who else would dare hurt Kai?! Who the fuck else?!" Snarling, Bryan stomped over to the closest wall and promptly let his hand fly, his large fist knocking through the wall, causing Hilary and Kiyoko to squeak in terror. "He's just a fucking kid!! A KID!!"

Kiyoko, having gotten over the shock, quickly stood up, and lay a hand on Bryan's arm, pulling it gently away from the wall so his hand made an appearance again, though noticeably bloodier. Rivulets of blood trickled down his clenched hand and dripped on to the soft cream of the carpet. Sighing with a slight tut, but with a soothing hand, she beckoned Spencer over. "Can you get me the first aid kit and meet me in the kitchen, please?"

Spencer dully nodded, eager to take on a distracting task and heading up the stairs quickly. Hilary stood up from her place on the sofa and eyed the living room warily, her gaze flickering over to both sets of hallways. "I'm just gonna go lock all the doors and windows. " She muttered softly, stepping around Tala, and briefly laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, she set off down the main hallway, the sound of doors opening and closing following her.

Tala sighed, swinging his legs up onto the sofa and laying down on his stomach, face buried in the crook oh his elbows, cradling his head. Kiyoko threw a concerned look towards the older teen before coaxing a fuming Bryan down the hallway towards the kitchen. Spencer came creeping down the stairs a minute later and headed in the same direction, as did Hilary a few minutes after him, having deemed the front door and the windows in the other rooms securely locked.

Silence blanketing the room, Tala flipped restlessly onto his back and stared up at the high ceiling, arms crossed behind his head. He distractedly blew strands of red hair out of his face as his eyes glazed over in 

thought. A soft smile graced his lips at Bryan's obvious concern for the youngest member of their team. The platinum haired teen was scarily over-protective, almost as much so as himself. Spencer, though protective as well, was more of a 'motherly figure', not always eager to start a fight no matter what people thought of him. He was almost a pacifist, and he was definitely the reason behind Bryan not having committed murder yet.

Bryan had a point though. A frown touched Tala's forehead. Only Lee would be daring enough to attempt something like this right under their noses. He growled softly at the thought, guilt making itself known within his heart. This was just another time that he had managed to screw up. Another incident in which he hadn't been able to protect his lover. He shook his head of the thoughts of self-doubt and focused on what Bryan had said.

A sad quirk of the lips was visible for a few seconds before it disappeared when he remembered how Bryan had referred to Kai as a 'kid'. Even though the teen was just under two years younger than Bryan, the platinum haired youth still thought of Kai as a kid ... after all, he hadn't had much time to be a kid when he was younger.

Tala ran a hand through his hair distractedly. Kai had always been so strong in the past, had always had a tight hold over his emotions - had never let anything hurt him, or had never shown it. But the thing is, it _was_ the past. He'd had to grow up so quickly while he was younger, never having the opportunity to live life as a care-free child, always having the pressure of perfection weighing him down. And now that he had finally been able to let himself go, let himself relax and enjoy life with the ones he loved, and act like a child whenever he wanted to ... things like this happen to him.

Turning onto his side, Tala was pulled out of his musings when a soft sniffle floated through the air. Sitting up abruptly, he gazed over the back of the sofa and towards the stairs. Kai was sitting on the second to last step, a blanket draped around his shoulders, slipping off slightly on one side to reveal pale skin. Crimson eyes watched him as he stood up of the sofa and went towards him.

As soon as Tala had reached the smaller teen, his arms wrapped around him protectively, pulling him to his chest possessively and resting his head on the silky tufts of tousled hair. Kai in turn, snuggled into the embrace, resting his head against Tala's firm chest, the strong steady heartbeat soothing his troubled mind. He didn't dare pull away when Tala easily lifted him into his arms and carried him towards the sofa before sitting down and pulling him onto his lap. Shifting, Kai curled up against the his red haired fiancé, one hand coming up to brush against the bandages wrapped firmly around his throat before moving downwards to clutch at the ruby encrusted ring on his necklace.

Kai sighed softly, his breath tickling the side of Tala's neck, who in turn looked down, nothing but concern, love and fear expressed in his blue eyes. Locking eyes with the teen who held him, Kai felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart clench at the amount of emotions wavering through Tala's eyes. Releasing his hold on his ring, he reached up and cupped the side of Tala's face, pulling him down into a kiss. The gentle movements of lips against his had him melting in to Tala's body, never willing to leave the safe cocoon of the arms around him.

When a probing tongue swiped imploringly at his bottom lip, Kai more than willingly parted his lips, a soft moan of contentment barely escaping the side of his lips as Tala explored his cavern intimately and with such passion that it left Kai completely breathless when they pulled away. Panting softly with his eyes closed, he gripped Tala's shoulder with one hand, cheek resting against the other's neck.

He suddenly felt something wet hitting his forehead, and he opened his eyes, somewhat alarmed. The sight that beheld him was heartbreaking. Tala was staring at him with bright, expressive blue eyes brimmed with tears, which slowly dripped down his cheek slowly. His strong body trembled as he bit his already swollen lower lip, trying not to break down.

Eyes widening, Kai sat up in Tala's embrace, both arms reaching out of the warmth of the blanket to cup the sides of his fiancé's face lovingly, slim fingers wiping away the tears. "Tala? Tal, what's wrong?"

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Tala wrapped his arms tightly around Kai's slim frame, burying his face in the crook of Kai's neck. Everything that had happened to Kai in the last couple of months finally catching up to him as realised just how close he had been to loosing Kai permanently on many occasions. His body shook with quiet sobs as his tears soaked the bandages around Kai's neck. The petite teen had both arms wrapped comfortingly around Tala's body, one hand tracing soothing circles on a broad back.

"It's alright, babe. It's alright. Shh …" he pressed a soft kiss to the side of Tala's face, concern evident in his gaze. His words only caused Tala to cry harder into his shoulder. It was so typical of Kai, to worry about others before himself.

Mumbling brokenly into Kai's neck, Tala took a shuddering breath, managing to calm himself somewhat. "I'm so sorry, Kai. 'm so sorry. Please forgive me …"

Tears touching the back of his eyes Kai pulled back, cupping Tala's face in his hands and coaxing the older teen to look him in the eyes. "Hey." Reluctantly, teary blue eyes rose up to meet his eyes, "There's nothing to forgive. You've done nothing wrong, do you understand me?" He whispered this harshly, wanting to rid the guilt in Tala's eyes. "You've loved me. Protected me. Cared for me and given me everything I've ever needed. Don't ever apologise … I love you." Kai broke off with a shuddering tearful breath, pressing a kiss to Tala's forehead.

Tala breathed out softly, "I don't deserve you."

"You deserve every part of me," Kai shot back, frowning.

"Is there any point in me arguing?"

Kai chuckled dully, "No."

Tala nodded and gave Kai a watery smile, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on pouty lips. "Gods, I love you Kai." Taking a deep, calming breath, he hugged Kai gently, silence taking over for a while.

Placing with silky strands of red hair at the nape of Tala's neck, Kai almost froze when Tala spoke, breaking the comfortable quiet. "… it was Lee wasn't it?"

Body coiled tense, Kai stopped, Lee's words coming back to him chillingly. _"Tell anyone … and Tala will be dead within 24 hours." _Shivering unconsciously, he shook his head slightly. "Tala … don't … please."

Frowning, Tala pulled back, studying the younger teen's face intensely. "It was."

Kai tried to pull away, the threat affecting him more than he thought. "Tala, please …" The desperation was evident in his voice.

Growling, Tala refused to let Kai go, hands grasping at the other's upper arms firmly, "No, Kai! You have to tell me! Was it, or was it not Lee who did this to you?!"

"Tala don't!" Kai pleaded, struggling against the hold the red-head had over him. "Don't …"

He stopped struggling all of a sudden when Tala shook him, eyes wide. "No! Don't you get it Kai? Because of that bastard, I almost lost you again!!" Kai swallowed, holding the tears at bay. Seeing this, Tala softened, "I almost lost you … I almost lost _this_." Leaning his forehead against Kai's, he carried on in a whispered mumble. "I'm scared, Kai. I'm so scared. If I lost you … I'm scared of losing you. Scared of not being able to see you, to hold you, to kiss you, to love you … to be with you … please …"

Kai's heart clenched painfully in his chest, Tala's sincere words striking a chord within him. Yet he steeled himself, biting his lower lip and shaking his head he pushed away from Tala gently. "I can't, Tal … I can't." He loved Tala too much to say anything. He loved him with his heart, body and soul and there was no way he was putting his life at risk.

Tala clenched his eyes shut, not able to watch the desperate tears trailing down Kai's cheeks. "… why?"

Slowly removing himself from the suddenly lax hold, Kai brushed a hand over Tala's cheek. "I just can't … I'm sorry." Blanket pooling at Tala's feet, Kai all but ran to the stairs, tears falling in torrents down his cheeks in anguish. He chanced a look back, only to have his heart break as Tala buried his face in his arms brokenly, but he kept on up the stairs until he was in the sanctuary of his room.

Slamming the door behind him, he fell back against it and collapsed, sliding down to the floor. Pulling his knees up to his chest, Kai covered his face with his hands, quiet sobs escaping his throat. "I'm sorry, Tala …"

A quiet scoff sounded through the room. "You're pathetic …"

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_-shifty eyes-_ Review?? _-bribes with plushies and ice-cream-_ xD


	9. Another Encounter

Hello my darlings!!

I'm absolutely adoring the feedback I'm getting from you guys! _-glomps-_ Your reviews really got me motivated, and helped me finish this doodle of a chapter!! It's now the longest chapter I've ever written. So enjoy!

**Warnings:** Erm ... some profanities.

* * *

Chapter Nine – Another Encounter

Kai shivered, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling at the voice that he had come to dread terribly. A voice that promised only pain and humiliation, so much like his grandfather's that he had slowly come to fear. A fear that lingered in the recesses of his mind, just out of grasp from his consciousness, making it almost impossible to overcome this fear and banish it from his being. He raised his head slowly, tear trails fresh on porcelain cheeks, the consequence of anguished eyes, eyes that locked on to burning depths of molten bronze. He tore his gaze away after a moment, an involuntary shudder running the course of his body as he sat curled up against the door.

He longed to call out for help - for Tala to drive away the person who seemed so intent on causing him misery, but he knew that he couldn't, not without putting his lover's life in danger and there was no way in hell that Kai would do that willingly. For the first time in a long while, Kai realised that he was completely on his own. No one could help him. He had to fight this on his own. He had to fight _Lee_ on his own. Shivering, he closed his eyes and reached into the back of his mind, into that one little corner that held onto the person he had been before, the person that could cope and deal with anything from anyone. Grasping it upon location, Kai concentrated, feeling ice fill his blood as he forced his old mask to slip back into place. It hurt, as the mask didn't fit as perfectly as it had before, but he ignored it, opening his eyes to glare at the lean figure reclining against his open window.

"It's funny really," the Chinese youth started, unaware to the change in his adversary's demeanour or attitude, "The once stoic, emotionless bastard of Beyblade, Kai Hiwatari, crying, cowering in fear." He scoffed in dark bemusement, standing up straight and walking slowly towards Kai's bowed form, "I never thought I'd see the day." A low chuckle rose from Lee's throat as he uncrossed his arms, still stalking towards Kai, who had dropped his head to his chest, silver bangs shrouding his face.

He reached Kai quickly, bending down until he was eye level with him, though the other stubbornly refused to look his way. "I use to wonder what it would be like to overpower you ... to watch you struggle. You were always so strong, so overbearing and arrogant ... but now." He paused, raking his eyes over Kai's body, and sneering in disgust, "You're weak. Pathetic ... and all because you're in love. I'm proud of you though ... you managed to keep your mouth shut." The mockery in his voice was clearly tangible as he threw his head back and laughed humourlessly, "Kept your little fiancé safe for a while until I'm through with you."

Lee stopped, regarding the other silently, somewhat confused at the lack of action, but he brushed it away uncomfortably. "I use to respect you ... but you lost that the day you let Rei die!!"

"Do you know exactly what happened that day?" Kai whispered, his voice heavy and dull, taking Lee by surprise, though he refrained to show it.

Snarling, he slammed his right hand beside Kai's head, the left reaching out to wrap around his throat, squeezing slightly, "Of course I know what happened!! You involved Rei in your petty fight against some raving idiot and let him sacrifice himself for you, you pathetic fucking coward!!"

It was then that Kai decided to raise his head, his usually blazing crimson eyes, dark, almost black, with a coldness that caught Lee off guard, chilling the very blood in his veins and causing him to retract both hands hesitantly. "Yes, he sacrificed himself for me. Glad to know you at least have your facts straight." Kai paused, a smirk touching his lips, his face cold, calculated and chilling, "But let me ask you one question."

Lee could only nod, the coldness seeping through him. He was suddenly aware that he was scared. He had only ever seen Kai look like this once in the past, and that was when he was under the control of Black Dranzer. He mentally scoffed at himself. Black Dranzer was gone. As far as he knew, it had been destroyed. This thought did little to comfort him or quell the fear instilling itself within his heart.

"By blaming me for Rei's death, are you aware that you're blaming Rei as well?"

Lee's intake of breath was incredulous, his eyes wide, "What the hell are you on about?!" He dismissed the fear in his heart quickly, annoyance and fury desperate to be let out. "How dare you blame Rei for his own death!!"

Kai shook his head, his face blank and completely devoid of emotion, as were his eyes. They remained a stone-cold black that bore into Lee's molten bronze eyes deeply. "I don't blame him ... but you do." At Lee's furious look, he continued, "By blaming me because I'm alive, you doubt Rei. You're doubting his sacrifice, and therefore doubting him because he chose to save me."

Lee bristled, startled at Kai's logical reasoning. "Whatever." He scoffed half-heartedly. "Yeah ... sure Rei's partly to blame, but you should've moved, called the ambulance sooner. If you and your _people_ had denied Rei's wishes to come along ... if you hadn't gotten yourself into this situation in the first place, then he would still be alive!!"

"But I'm only human Lee, and we all know how stubborn Rei can be when it comes to those he cares about deeply," Kai said in a deep monotone, eyes never leaving the Chinese youth's. He titled his head to the side, "What would hurting me do?"

"It would make me feel a hell of a lot better!" Lee whispered quietly, voice laced with venom. "You have no idea how it feels. You have _no _idea what it's like to lose someone so close to you!! To lose the one person you love!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!"

The mask cracked at the surprising revelation and Kai's eyes dimmed to a dark crimson as he regarded the other man. His voice, though cold, was soft as he spoke. "You loved him?"

Lee looked up sharply, cursing himself for the slip of the tongue. He glared threateningly at Kai, almost daring him to exploit his weakness. His hands itched to wrap themselves around the slim throat, but the dark crimson eyes had him rooted in place, an unknown force holding him back.

Kai laughed hollowly, the chilling sound resonating quietly in the room. "I understand everything now. You loved him ... and you weren't able to tell him, and now that he's gone, you blame me for his death ... you hate me because I took away your one chance of love ..." Kai's emotionless mask crumbled into little pieces as he spoke, tears trailing down his cheeks in anguish. "... I'm so sorry, Lee. I'm sorry."

Lee scrunched his eyes shut, choking back on a sob, "Shut up! Shut up!! You don't mean it! You wanted him dead!"

"No!" Kai whispered harshly. "Rei was my friend. I never wanted anything to happen to him! I would gladly give up my life if it could bring him back!!"

Lee ran a hand through his hair roughly, gazing at Kai with pleading eyes as he sat back on his heels, "Then why …?"

Kai swallowed, "I tried to stop it from happening, Lee, I _tried_ … but it happened so fast." He shook his head wordlessly, "I couldn't stop it. He was dead long before I finally found out …"

Lee nodded mutely, wiping the tears from his cheeks before standing up abruptly, his mind whirring as everything seemed to click into place. "Then there's no point in me chasing you around anymore … it's pointless." He sighed, sounding so tired and defeated. "I didn't want to hurt you, Kai, I didn't … and I know you probably don't believe that … but it's the truth." He walked towards the open window, leaning on the ledge and gazing out at the night. "I was just so hurt and angry and upset when I heard that Rei was dead … I just took it out on you, the one person he would do absolutely anything for." He turned to face Kai, who was watching him silently. "I'm sorry I hurt you …"

Kai stood up shakily and shook his head, "You loved him …" Kai refused to come any further, a part of him still wary of the other man. "… You're not a bad guy, Lee … you never have been. But you let your judgment get clouded easily." Sighing, he paused when Lee turned to look at him, "I should forgive you, and I will, but only because of Rei … Tala, Bryan and Spencer will not be so forgiving."

Lee shuddered at the mention of the three Russians, but swallowed and nodded none-the-less. "I understand. I guess it's more than I can ask for … I didn't expect you to forgive me, Kai." Lee trailed off into a whisper. "Tala changed you for the better."

Kai nodded mutely.

Lee hesitated, climbing up on to the window ledge, "Listen … I'll stay away from you, and I want you to tell Tala, Bryan and Spencer. I will willingly accept any punishment they see fit for my deeds, it was unforgivable, my behaviour is unforgivable … but…"

Kai inclined his head, coaxing the other to continue.

"… I have Rei's stuff over at my house, and I'm going to start going through the belongings in a couple of weeks … would it be ok if I called you if there's anything I think you might want?"

Nibbling his bottom lip in thought, Kai finally nodded. "What about your team-mates? They were here earlier on …"

A grimace crossed Lee's features, "I haven't seen them since the funeral … but I have to own up to them, apologise."

"They'll go after you." It didn't take a genius to understand who Kai was referring to.

"I know."

"They could very well kill you … with or without my knowledge."

Lee hesitated for a second. "I know."

Kai sighed, a flicker of a smile on his lips. "Goodbye Lee."

The Chinese youth nodded his head once, before jumping out of the window into the darkening night. As soon as he had disappeared from sight and Kai could no longer hear him, he shot towards the window and bolted it shut, leaning against it panting heavily, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He ran a shaky hand over his face, breathing in deeply, trying to calm his racing heart.

He slumped down against the wall, trembling slightly, eyes squeezed shut.

"Kai?" A voice called to him from beyond his door. The crimson eyed youth opened his eyes and raised his head tiredly. "Kai … can I come in … please …"

He felt his eyes water and he bit his bottom lip, trying to rein in his emotions. "Tala …" Standing up slowly, he dragged himself towards the door and pulled it open, Tala's pale, concerned face coming into view. "Tala."

Without a seconds thought, Kai launched himself at the taller teen, lithe arms wrapping around Tala's neck and his legs coming up to lock themselves around his waist. He buried his face in the crook of Tala's neck, never wanting to let go, never wanting to have to use that mask again. It had hurt him to force that old mask back upon himself. It had felt like he had nothing to live for, that he hadn't been able to break away from the darkness and despair that had haunted him.

Tala stumbled a little at the unexpected weight, but soon had his arms wrapped tightly around Kai's shaking body, his face buried in silken hair, inhaling the exotic smell of his lover. "I'm sorry … I'm sorry I didn't tell you … but, but I couldn't … I'm sorry, Tala." Tala breathed in Kai's scent, walking into the room, and kicking the door shut behind him with his foot. "I didn't want to lose you …"

Tala paused mid-step, tightening his hold on the petite teen, "Baby, what are you talking about? … Kai?"

"… he said he'd kill you …" it was a mere whisper, but Tala heard it loud and clear, his blood freezing in his veins.

"Was it Lee?"

Kai hesitated, and then nodded, raising his head to look up at Tala. "Tal, I'm sorry …"

Tala took in a deep breath and breathed it out shakily, willing the anger that had sparked out at those words to simmer as he gazed into Kai's passionate crimson eyes. He smiled softly and shook his head, pressing a gentle kiss to Kai's lips. "No. It's not your fault. You were doing what you thought was best … and if it were me in your place; I would've done the same thing … just to keep you safe …"

Kai bit his lip, gazing up at his fiancé, hesitation clear in his eyes. He knew he had permission from Lee to tell Tala what had happened, but he was afraid of what might happen if he did say something. As much as he hated Lee for what he had done and how he had reacted to things, would he be able to stand back and watch as Tala, Bryan and Spencer tore him apart? But didn't the Chinese youth say he was more than willing to accept his punishment?

Kai was jolted out of his thoughts when Tala gently laid him down on the bed, brushing stray strands of hair back from his face. He placed a soft kiss on the petite teenager's forehead before sinking into the bed next to him, lying on his side and pulling Kai towards his chest. He wrapped a strong arm around Kai's waist, nuzzling his face in Kai's shoulder. Feeling safe and secure in the embrace, Kai snuggled up to Tala, one hand resting over his fiancé's.

He could feel the concern and curiosity in the way the red-head held him, and he realised that he had to say something. Tala wouldn't push him for answers, but he would be hurt if Kai took too long to tell him.

"Tal …" Tala hummed, signalling that he was listening. Kai swallowed, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. "… Lee … Lee was here, just before you came."

Kai could feel the tension in Tala's body as the older teen froze against him. "Did he hurt you?"

Kai shook his head, shifting around to face Tala. "He … apologised …"

Tala could feel his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, though a scowl remained affixed to his features. "He what?"

"He apologised to me …"

"What did you say? … are you sure he didn't hurt you?"

Kai ignored the last question, reaching up and toying with the stray strands of red hair tickling his cheek. He stared intently at his fidgety fingers, refusing to look at Tala. "I forgave him."

Tala pulled away abruptly, getting off the bed. Out of fear that the other was leaving, Kai sat up quickly, one hand reaching out to latch onto Tala's arm. But he needn't have feared, Tala wasn't going anywhere, eyes blazing darkly. Kai dropped his arm back down to his side, where it toyed with the hem of his shirt. "You _forgave_ him? Kai … that bastard hurt you! He almost killed you. _TWICE!_ And you _forgave _him?" Tala stared at his petite lover incredulously, slightly hysterical. "Why?! Why would you do that, Kai? Why would you forgive someone who tried to take you away from me?"

"Because …"

"Because what? Kai. What?!" Tala ran a hand over his face, a deep frown tilting his eyebrows downwards. He held his hands out in front of him in mid-gesture, words trying to come out of his mouth, but failing. He let out a heavy breath and dropped his hands to his sides, shaking his head and gazing resolutely down at the floor. His next words were a mere whisper, hesitant, confused and so desperately lost. "I just don't understand. He tried to _kill_ you … and he almost succeeded." Seemingly exhausted, Tala slumped onto the side of the bed, perching precariously close to the edge. "If I hadn't of followed you out into the garden, you might be dead by now … and you forgave him."

Timidly, Kai crept forward, placing a hesitant hand on Tala's stiff shoulder. When the other didn't even flinch, he moved closer, wrapping both his arms around Tala's neck from behind and pressing his cheek to Tala's back. "Tal. I had to forgive him … I had to for Rei."

Tala chuckled humourlessly, "Rei? What's Rei gotta do with anything?"

Kai sighed, pressing close to Tala's back, "Lee loved Rei … but he never got the chance to tell him. That's why he attacked me. And for Rei's sake, for his peace … I forgave Lee. It was the right thing to do."

Tala felt his resolve weaken, a shiver running down his spine the longer his petite lover pressed closer to him, warm breath tickling the base of his sensitive neck. He reached up to cover those smaller hands with his own larger ones, a small smile flitting across his lips as Kai entwined their fingers together. "Sometimes you can be so stupid, you know that …"

Humming, Kai nodded, "I know."

Sighing deeply, Tala lowered his head in defeat. "And you can be so damn naïve and far too caring."

"I know."

Tala shook his head, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Kai … just because you've forgiven him … it doesn't mean that I have. If I'm honest with you, I'm gonna kill that bastard when I see him."

Kai simply nodded, already having predicted Tala's answer. "Would you really kill to protect me?"

Tala growled, "Damn straight. No one touches you and gets away with it, Kai. No one."

A smile lifted the corners of Kai's lips at Tala's determined words. Though they should've scared him, they made him feel loved, protected and special. "Thank you, Tal."

Tala pulled his hands back gently, turning around and wrapping them around Kai's waist. He smiled at Kai's serene expression and pushed him onto his back softly. Positioning himself atop of the smaller teen, he leant down and placed a kiss on Kai's nose, laughing as Kai wrinkled his nose and pouted. "What are you thanking me for, baby?"

Licking his lips, he wound his arms around Tala's neck, fingers idly playing with the short strands of hair at the nape. "For always being there for me."

"Of course, baby. From now until forever, I'll always be there for you … no matter what," Tala paused, tilting his head to the side, "I love you."

A bright smile lit up Kai's face, "I love you too."

Pulling Tala's head down, Kai pressed his lips against his in a tender kiss. Returning it passionately, the two were oblivious to the soft knock on the door before it swung open and a squeal pierced the air.

"Oh my gosh! Kawaii!"

Tala gasped as Kai bit down on his tongue in shock and promptly fell off the bed, eyes whipping towards the door. A frown decorated his features when he saw Hilary standing there grinning slyly.

"I'm sorry … did I interrupt something?"

Kai felt his eyebrow twitch and collapsed back onto the bed, rubbing his head distractedly. Sometimes he just couldn't understand Hilary. Sure she had changed a lot of the past couple of years, and she had gotten a lot closer to him, acting like a mother or an older sister would … and then she suffers from a fit of 'fangirl-itis' and Kai is left to question his choice in friends.

"Hilary …"

"Oh don't worry, Kai. I have a reason for being here," Hilary grinned brightly, before gazing at Kai in concern, eyes flickering to the bandages wrapped around his pale neck. "Are you ok? I was so worried about you … I thought that …" Hilary cast her ruby eyes down towards the ground, her bottom lip trembling and heart wrought with emotion.

Kai bit the inside of his cheek lightly, crawling off the bed and gathering the other girl into a comforting hug. "I'm fine, Hil. Don't worry about me."

Hilary shook her head fretfully, hands fisted in Kai's shirt as she struggled to keep the tears back. "But I have to Kai, 'cause you don't worry about yourself!"

Kai chuckled, running a soothing hand through her hair, "That may be true … but I have loads of people to worry about me."

"Yeah, like me," Tala hoisted himself up off of the floor and gingerly poked at his tongue, glad to find out it wasn't bleeding. His annoyance to Hilary's disruption had melted away as soon as the younger girl had dissolved into tears. Ambling over to the two, he hugged Hilary from behind and rested his chin on top of her head. "Now what was it you needed?"

Hilary sniffed, finally managing to regain control of her emotions. "Bryan and Spencer wanted to know if you guys were ok … I mean, Tala, we came back to see you crying and then you shoot off up here without a seconds explanation after like fifteen minutes."

Kai stiffened at the words, but a gentle touch from Tala's hand on the small of his back reassured him that the red-head was fine. He smiled softly at the teen in front of him, leaning forward just a bit to place a kiss on his lips over Hilary's shoulder, mouthing a silent "Sorry."

"We're fine, Hil … in fact, mind doing me a favour?" Hilary pulled away from the two and stepping back, "Could you call Bryan and Spencer up, we need to have a word with them."

Hilary frowned, glancing between the two men, "This has to do with Lee, doesn't it?" Kai turned away, not wanting to deal with this, and headed towards the bed. "It does. I know it does … and 'Yoko and I have every right to hear what's happened."

"Hilary, not now," the warning in Tala's voice was evident, and Hilary backed off quickly, looking down at her hands with a slightly disappointed expression. "I'm sorry. We'll tell you and Kiyoko later, but first we need to talk to Bry and Spenc."

Hilary debated whether or not to go. She hated not knowing what was going on, and it hurt her slightly to not be involved from the off-start.

"Please, Hilary."

The brunette raised her head slowly, eyes straying over to Kai who was sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow to his chest. Crimson eyes pleaded with her and she found herself giving in. She would never do anything to upset Kai. So sighing in defeat she nodded and headed out of the door and down the stairs to get Bryan and Spencer.

Tala breathed out heavily, running a hand through his hair distractedly as he moved towards the bed. "Baby … how about you leave the explaining to me."

Kai looked up, startled, "Tala?"

Cupping Kai's chin gently with a large hand, he smiled softly, "It's not gonna be pretty when they find out … and I'd rather you not have to witness it."

Kai bit the inside of his cheek, eyes wandering around the room as he thought. He hesitated for a second before finally nodding. "Alright."

"Thanks baby." Tala pressed a fleeting kiss to Kai's forehead before moving away, watching as Kai slid off the bed and walked out of the room, glancing back for a second with a smile on his face before he was gone.

A minute later, Bryan and Spencer were crowded around the doorway, concern flushed across their faces. Tala exhaled lightly, standing up from the bed, which he had occupied once Kai was out of the room, and motioned the two in with a wave of his hand. He waited for the door to close before he started pacing the room uncomfortably, Bryan and Spencer eyeing him worriedly.

"What happened?" It was Spencer that managed to break the awkward silence, unable to watch the red-haired teen pacing for much longer.

It seemed to do the trick as Tala jerked and immediately stopped pacing. It was only then did Bryan and Spencer sense the fury radiating off of him in powerful waves. Shocked into concern, the two larger teens shot each other a look, swallowing slightly.

"We saw Kai on the way down … he seemed troubled."

Tala scoffed, blazing ice blue eyes focused on the two seated awkwardly on the edge of his bed. "Troubled?" he snorted, arms crossing over his chest, "That fucking bastard was just here!" Bryan and Spencer shot up quickly, eyes darting around the room, searching for any signs of a struggle. Tala shook his head, sighing, "Let me explain …"

x.x.x.x

Kai shuffled down the stairs slowly, eyes landing on a fretful Hilary and Kiyoko as soon as his foot hit the last step. The two girls gasped when they saw him, standing up from where they were sitting, concern shining brightly in their eyes.

"Kai?" Kiyoko stepped around the sofa and to Kais side, gazing at him intently. "How are you feeling?"

A small, weary smile graced his lips, "Fine. Just a little tired."

The girl nodded, inquisitive silver eyes gazing at him even as she took a hold of his hand and led him to the sofa, gently pushing him to sit down. Hilary moved aside, grabbing a hold of the blanket that he had left down there before and draping it across his lean body.

"You should get some rest," Hilary said softly, running a hand through Kai's hair in a motherly fashion.

Feeling warm and drowsy, Kai didn't object when the two girls convinced him to stretch out along the sofa. Curiosity pulsed within him though, and he struggled to push away the heavy blanket that lethargy now had on him. "Wait … aren't you wondering what happened?"

Kiyoko merely placed a hand on his cheek, "Don't worry about that, we'll get Tala to tell us. For now, you need to rest."

Kai nodded drowsily, eyelids drooping shut and his breath evening out fairly quickly, proving just how tired the boy was. Hilary sighed, resting on her knees beside the sofa, hands busy making sure that Kai was wrapped up properly. Kiyoko sat in a similar position by Kai's head, a hand running through silken strands unconsciously. The two of them remained quiet, not wanting to make a sound in fear that Kai would awaken. They needn't have worried though, as even the sound of furious shouting from upstairs failed to wake the slumbering teen.

x.x.x.x

"I'm gonna shove a fucking bazooka up his fucking arse and blow it up with a huge fucking grin of my face!!" Bryan all but roared, pacing the room dangerously, his face screwed up into a ferocious scowl. "How dare the little fucker hurt Kai … and then threaten to kill you if he told anyone!! ARGH!! Who the hell does he think he is?!"

"Bryan, calm down," Spencer soothed, though he knew it was a fruitless attempt.

"Calm down?" Bryan's eyes had taken on a slightly hysterical glint, a wild bout of laughter escaping his mouth, "_Calm down_?! You're telling me to calm down?! Some stupid little fucker tried to kill Kai and you're telling me to _calm _the fuck _down_?!"

Rubbing his forehead in distress, Spencer forced down the anger that wished to show itself. It didn't help to have more than two people lashing out and going mad. He risked a glance at Tala, who, after having finished explaining what had happened, had gone over to his bag and retrieved a rather deadly looking knife and was sharpening it almost tenderly, a feral smirk on his lips.

"Yes – I'm telling you to calm down." Spencer managed to grind out, slowly losing control of his temper the longer this went on.

"Why the hell should I? Huh?! Don't you fucking care?!"

"Of course I care!!" Spencer snapped loudly, shocking Bryan into quiet submission and startling Tala so much that he almost dropped the knife that he had moved onto polishing. "But getting mad at each other and ranting randomly is ineffective and will do more harm than good."

Tala and Bryan had the dignity to look ashamed.

"I know you guys are furious … but if what Tala said was true, Lee won't be around. And honestly, that, for the moment, is good enough for me because it means that Kai won't be getting hurt." Spencer ran a hand through his hair roughly, pulling on the strands to relieve some of the tension in his body. "When the little toe-rag does decided to show himself, then, Bryan, you can shove a bazooka up his arse and Tala can carve his body to pieces, and I will gladly and sadistically set fire to those pieces and feed them to a shark."

Despite the seriousness of the situation and tone of Spencer's voice, Tala couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips at the imagery Spencer's words conjured up in his mind. Bryan and Spencer, though somewhat startled and affronted by Tala's impromptu reaction, found themselves chuckling awkwardly before they all erupted into a bout of hysterical laughter.

It took them a few minutes to calm themselves down and wipe the tears from their eyes. They gazed at each other tenderly, hearts filled with the deep brotherly love they held for one another.

"It's gonna be fun killing Lee." Bryan stated, crossing his arms behind his head nonchalantly.

Tala nodded in agreement, gingerly removing the knife from where it had accidentally embedded it in the side of a cupboard and returning it carefully to his bag, making a mental note to hide it somewhere safe. He sighed softly, looking up at the other two Russian's who were watching him quietly. "We've had enough drama for the day. We should all get some sleep."

Spencer murmured in agreement, standing up and stretching his large frame. "Yeah. I'll go get Kiyoko settled in and get the guest room ready for Hilary … I don't think she'll be too keen on leaving, and I'm not too comfortable letting her leave at this time."

Tala glanced towards the clock discreetly, noting that it was close to one in the morning. He yawned. No wonder he felt completely and utterly drained.

Bryan ran a hand over his face. "Should I go and get Kai for you Tala?"

Tala nodded, "If it's not too much trouble."

Bryan waved his comment away, "No trouble. Need to go and set up the security quickly, you know, just in case."

Tala mumbled something in understanding, already gathering clothes from his bag and heading towards the en-suite bathroom. He threw a quick "G'night guys" over his shoulder before he closed the bathroom door.

Before Bryan could leave the room, Spencer grabbed a hold of his arm, a frown creasing his forehead. "Set up security? Bryan, we don't have any security equipment."

Bryan shrugged tiredly, "I know … I'm gonna go out, get the necessary equipment and have it set up by morning."

"You're pulling an all-nighter?"

Bryan shrugged again, brushing off Spencer's hand. "It's to keep them safe." Then he was off out of the room and hallway down the stairs before Spencer could think of anything to say.

Sighing, Spencer left the room and headed down the stairs after Bryan. Setting foot in the living room, he couldn't help the small smile spreading over his face at the sight of Kai asleep on the sofa, both Hilary and Kiyoko fast asleep beside him, heads resting upon their arms on the sofa. Bryan seemed reluctant to wake them, casting a look back to Spencer, who shook his head subtly.

Inclining his head in understanding, Bryan gently gathered the still sleeping Kai into his arms, being careful not to jolt the two exhausted girls out of their sleep, and set off with his light bundle up the stairs. Watching him go, Spencer soon turned his eyes to the two girls and stepped forward silently. He placed a hand on Kiyoko's shoulder and shook it slightly. The silver haired girl woke with a start, but calmed as soon as she saw Spencer.

"Hey." He said softly, already moving on to wake Hilary, who blearily blinked her eyes open. "I'll show you girls to your rooms."

Yawning and blinking hazily, the girls stumbled up the stairs after Spencer, muttering a "Goodnight Bryan" to the platinum haired teen on his way back down the stairs. He mumbled something similar as he continued his way down and towards the front entrance, where he pulled on his shoes and jacket before heading out the front door, making sure to lock it behind him.

x.x.x.x

Spencer stifled a yawn as he trudged out of the bathroom. Glancing around, he decided to check on everyone before he headed to bed.

As soon as he had the girls settled into their rooms, he had headed downstairs to check every window, door and lock as Hilary had done, before going into the kitchen and grabbing himself some milk. He had leant against the kitchen counter in silence, pondering over his glass of milk. It was only when he heard Bryan returning did he make his way towards the bathroom to shower and change into his pyjamas.

Now, peeking through Kiyoko's door, he allowed calm to take his mind, reassured that the petite nurse was fine. Closing the door quietly, he moved towards the next room, which was the guest room. Again, he peeked in, eyes adjusting to the dark to see Hilary slumbering peacefully, hugging a pillow to her chest contently. Yawning, he closed the door and walked towards Kai and Tala's room, bare feet silent against the soft carpet. Upon opening 

the door, a smile lit his features at the sight of Tala cuddling Kai protectively to his chest, the slender teen resting atop the red-haired youth comfortably, arms entwined around his neck.

He started slightly when Bryan's appeared beside him, a gentle smile also on his face. "They'll be alright, won't they?"

Spencer nodded, expression softening when Kai fidgeted in his sleep, hair tickling Tala's nose, who wrinkled it before shifting and relaxing. "Yeah … I think they will."

* * *

Damn plotbunnies!! It completely changed the way I wanted this to turn out!! _-sighs-_ Oh well, I'm quite happy with the chapter anyway. And I had way too much fun typing up Bryan's part. :D

Penny for your thoughts? Review? _-waves a cookie temptingly_- x3


	10. Unexpected Meeting

Hello my darlings!! -_glomps all_- Just wanted to say thank you to those who reviewed!!

Well, without further ado: Chapter Ten!!

**Warnings: **Just the usual stuff.

**Disclaimer:** Do. Not. Own.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Ten – Unexpected Meeting

On waking up the next morning, Kai had stretched languidly before placing a soft kiss on Tala's forehead, and slid out of the bed to head downstairs and start making breakfast. Upon entering the kitchen however, he had been greeted by Bryan's slumbering body sprawled across the floor with various electronic equipment scattered around him. Taking in everything, Kai had scowled and poked Bryan with his foot and had proceeded to yell at the tired platinum-haired teen for exhausting himself, before making him some hot chocolate and sending him off to bed.

It had now been three weeks since that eventful night upon Tala and Kai's discharge from the hospital, and it had been spent in quiet recuperation for the crimson eyed teen, who had insisted that Hilary move in with them, considering she was always travelling to and from their house everyday. It didn't take much to persuade the girl as she had dragged a bewildered Kiyoko with her and returned mere hours later with her things.

Tala was far along the recovery road and was eager to start training again, under the pretence that "Kai won't find me attractive if I lose my six pack". Kai himself had scoffed and promptly smacked Tala upside the head for even thinking such a thing, much to the amusement of Hilary, Kiyoko, Bryan and Spencer.

Through the hustle and bustle of the household, with the many guests dropping by unexpectedly, Kai had been able to keep a secret. It wasn't something he was proud of, but he knew that if he told anyone, word would spread to the others in the house and he would be smothered by everyone. Not that it didn't have its perks. But Kai was used to being independent, and people surrounding him at all hours of the day asking inappropriate questions was starting to grate on his nerves. Not that he would ever say anything – he knew they were all doing it for his own good.

For the past two weeks, Kai had been suffering from insomnia. This in itself wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as he had suffered from it years before, but thanks to his current condition, he wasn't healing as quickly as he was used to, and he was losing a fair bit of weight. And for someone as petite and lean as him, it was starting to become noticeable, and it wouldn't be much longer before Tala noticed and said something.

Sighing, Kai crossed his arms behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling in contemplation. He had absolutely no idea why he was suffering from it. The last time, he had been able overcome it because Tala was a constant by his side, and that was the same now. So why? Eyebrows drown down into a frown, Kai bit the inside of his cheek.

"I don't understand …"

"Understand what?" Kai jumped slightly, eyes flickering towards the door where Tala was reclining against the doorframe, concern flashing within blue eyes.

"Tala …"

Warm blue eyes flitted over Kai's tense form for a few seconds before roaming up and locking with crimson eyes. "Hey." Pushing off the door frame, Tala strode into the room and hopped up onto the bed, landing beside Kai's still form.

Kai smiled, one hand reaching out to entwine with Tala's larger one. "Hey. "

"You alright?" Kai nodded, pulling the red-head down to rest at his side. The other remained unmoved, sensing that something was off, although he couldn't place his finger on it. "So what don't you understand?"

Kai refrained from rolling his eyes, "Nothing. It's not important, I was just thinking out loud."

Tala eyed Kai suspiciously, but let the matter drop. Kai would tell him when he was ready. "Hmmm."

Shifting to lie on his back, Tala wrapped an arm around Kai's waist and tugged him gently to his side. Complying more than willingly, Kai shuffled over, curling into Tala's body whilst draping an arm over his stomach and resting his cheek on his chest. He almost purred in contentment when Tala's hand rose to caress the silken strands of royal blue hair at the nape of his neck. Instead, he merely snuggled closer, his free hand toying with the ring around his neck subconsciously.

Tala sighed, drawing Kai's attention, who had started to doze off for the first time in ages. Crimson eyes tilted upwards, questioning. Tala merely smiled and ruffled Kai's hair before slowly moving to get up. "Hilary and Kiyoko want to start planning the wedding."

Kai's mouth dropped open into an 'o', and he groaned. "But we agreed to have the wedding in April … and it's only October." Pursing his lips together, his forehead crinkled into an exasperated frown as he did the calculations in his head quickly, "Which still gives us a good six months to plan and get everything sorted."

Tala chuckled, "I know. I said the same thing to the girls, but they were adamant." A tender smile touched his lips as Kai pouted, sitting up in the bed and crossing his arms over his chest, making him look the perfect picture of a child refused candy. "C'mon, it won't be that bad."

Kai sighed in defeat, "I know …"

Leaning forward, he placed a hand under Kai's chin and tilted it upwards before placing a soft, tender kiss on those pouting lips. "Be downstairs in ten, ok?"

Kai nodded dazedly, crimson eyes unfocused as Tala pulled back. The older teen chortled lightly, already on the way out of the room. As soon as he had gone, Kai flopped back down on the bed, a hand running through his hair distractedly, his mind resuming its train of thought before Tala had appeared.

He eyes strayed to the clock absent-mindedly before they focused on the red numbers and he cursed out loud, shooting up and off of the bed as he realised that he only had five more minutes to take a shower, change and attempt to tame his hair. Dashing towards the cupboard, he rummaged through it half-hazardly and grabbed a pair of baggy grey jeans and a simple fitted black tank top, and promptly sprinted towards the bathroom, stripping off his clothes and jumping into the shower.

x.x.x.x.x

"Kai!! Get your gorgeous ass down here right now!"

Having finally managed to get himself ready, Kai poked his head around the peered down from the top of the stairs, a frown touching his forehead and crimson eyes narrowing on the platinum haired teen that had come out with the random outburst. He stifled a small chuckle though, as he spotted his fiancé glaring icily at the back of Bryan's head, his mouth moving silently, obscenities flitting through his head.

"Well there you are my gorgeous fluff ball! Took your sweet time!" Bryan had all but one second to duck as Tala tackled him to the floor, hands wrapped around his throat, ice blue eyes glazed over with pure possessiveness and jealousy.

"No one! I repeat, _no one_, can call _my_ Kai gorgeous or make any comment about his ass!" Growling, Tala tightened his hold on the struggling teen underneath him who was gazing up at him incredulously, his face turning a faint shade of purple as he tried to pry the fingers around his throat off.

Gasping, Kai sprinted down the stairs quickly, and hauled his irate fiancé off of the choking platinum haired Russian with a strength that belied his slim frame. This was no mean feat, however, as Tala was a lot heavier and taller than him and seemed hell bent of choking to death one of his closest friends for making a harmless comment. Luckily for Bryan, Kai was able to pin Tala's arms behind his back, who had given into snarling and growling like a wolf.

"Tala , baby, calm down! He was only teasing. He didn't mean anything by it," Sighing softly at the lack of reaction, Kai fixed a dark glare on Bryan, who had managed to stand up and was rubbing at his throat, looking extremely sheepish towards the whole situation, brushing off the fact that one of his closest childhood friends had just tried to strangle him.

Kai tightened his grip on Tala's arms, wondering why the hell Bryan had chosen to provoke him. It was no secret that Tala had become extremely paranoid and possessive of Kai, the result of worry, anxiety and fear from over the last few months. Sighing once more, Kai couldn't help the smallest of smiles gracing his lips at that fact. To him, it was comforting to know that Tala cared for him so much, though he had to admit, the red-head was taking it a little too far. He wondered what would happen, exactly, if someone provoked Tala so much that the older teen would finally fall over edge. He shook his head of such thoughts quickly. He had more important things to worry about ... like his red haired fiancé itching to launch himself at the platinum haired Russian who had failed to move an inch.

With Tala struggling viciously in his arms and refusing to listen to a word he said, Kai felt it was time to use a different approach. Quickly and swiftly stepping out from behind the red head, he wrapped his arms around the taller teen's neck and tip toed, placing his lips over the others gently.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Tala immediately stopped snarling, his clench fists loosening and coming up to lock around Kai's petite waist as he proceeded to ravish the younger teen's mouth, claiming what was his and swallowing the small whimpers of pleasure that escaped Kai's throat hungrily.

Bryan sweat dropped and fought the urge to roll his eyes, having not expected such a strange, though highly effective, reaction. He shrugged it off easily, gingerly rubbing at his bruising throat. Ah well. Tala, Kai, Spencer and himself were far from ordinary, so anything strange that happened in this house was a given. Kiyoko and Hilary were slowly being corrupted by their behaviour, so it seems, as only yesterday, Kiyoko had accidentally set fire to a curtain and had watched it avidly burn before Kai came waltzing in casually with a fire extinguisher at hand.

He mentally scolded himself for provoking Tala. It hadn't been the first time he had been tackled by the slightly younger teen, but he had tried so hard to make it the last. The first time it had happened, Tala almost charged at him with a frying pan, which had been plucked out of his hands swiftly by a confused Spencer.

Pulled out of his thoughts by a quiet 'thump', he winced slightly when Tala pinned Kai to the closest wall, deciding that it was probably time to take his leave; after all, he didn't need to give Tala another reason to go rabid wolf on him. Besides, it was a private moment, and he felt wrong intruding upon it, though his fingers itched to grab his camera, take a picture and sell it to Hilary. He resisted the urge though - Tala would kill him.

Chuckling to himself, Bryan stalked quietly down the hallway towards the kitchen, forgetting for the moment that others were in the vicinity.

Kai groaned, feeling Tala slip a leg between his, the other's lean body coming into full contact with his own, sending bolts of pleasure shooting down his spine. And with that talented tongue caressing every inch of his mouth passionately, he felt euphoric, all logical thought flying out of his mouth, filled only with Tala and his wicked tongue. His knees buckled, and he would've fallen if it weren't for Tala's possessive grip around his hips. His lungs were on fire, but he pulled Tala closer, wanting more of the man who had captured his heart. He wanted this moment to last forever, but air was already running out and he was feeling more than a little light-headed. Pulling back reluctantly, Kai gasped, desperately trying to get some air back into his lungs.

Tala panted harshly, his forehead resting against the top of Kai's head as he tried to control his breathing. That kiss had literally taken his breath away. He leant back slightly, his eyes flickering over Kai's delicate features. Kai had closed his eyes, dark lashes quivering against high cheek bones that were covered in an endearing flush. Full lips were a cherry red and kiss bruised, slightly open as they parted to take in air. The sight was more than enough for Tala to capture those lips again, swiping at deliciously swollen lips with his tongue. This kiss was slower and more passionate, tender, each teen still breathing deeply. Their tongues battled sensuously, neither giving up in their spar for dominance until Tala reached down and cupped Kai's buttocks, causing the other to gasp and arch against him, moaning deeply in his throat - a moan that Tala was all too happy to swallow.

A sudden shriek filled the air, causing Tala and Kai to leap apart in shock, panting heavily and eyes darting about frantically, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise.

Hilary rushed in through the hallway leading off to the front door, another squeal leaving her lips, a sheepish Kiyoko trailing behind with a serene smile on her face. The brown haired girl immediately latched herself to Kai's side, studying his face intently, a Cheshire grin spreading across her face as she took in his flushed features. She threw a dark look at Tala suddenly, "Why did you stop?!"

Kai, Tala and Kiyoko stared at the girl incredulously, still some-what unused to her straight-to-the-point statements. Kiyoko coughed lightly and looked away, a blush staining her cheeks. Though she would never admit it out loud, she was tempted to take a picture and coo over how cute the couple looked together, but she didn't want to make them feel overly uncomfortable and awkward ... that was Hilary's self-appointed job. Kai blushed darkly, nibbling at his already swollen bottom lip, a sure sign that he was embarrassed. Tala merely scowled and glared at the girl.

"What I do with Kai does not concern you!"

Hilary smirked, hardly put off by Tala's attitude, "It does when you're making out in the middle of the living room and whatever room I happen to walk into."

"Yeah, like our 'locked' bedroom?" Tala countered wryly.

Hilary shrugged, "Well what can I say? You must've loosened the lock when you pinned Kai against it."

Kai flushed an even darker shade of crimson, running a hand over his face in morbid embarrassment.

"You rushed in with a lock-picking kit!!" Tala fumed, ears going red.

Looking scandalised, Hilary pointed a finger at herself. "Me? With a 'lock-picking kit'? I had just taken it off of Bryan!"

Bryan chose that exact moment to walk into the living room, Spencer following and shaking his head. "You stole that off of me!"

"Did not!"

Kai stepped back and away from the argument, feeling his head throb uncomfortably. Kiyoko and Spencer, being the only two with enough sense to not get involved shot him a concerned look before glancing at each other, understanding flitting between them.

"Yes you did!! You ran into my room when I was in the shower! Dug through my stuff! And took it! You even left a note saying it was a case of life or death … which we all know means Kai and Tala are getting physical somewhere ."

Hilary grinned and shrugged, "Hey, it was either the 'lock-picking kit' or the bazooka."

Tala's eyes bulged out of his head as he turned on Bryan. "You have a _bazooka_ in your room?"

"That's not all he has in there!" Hilary chirped happily, glad the heat had been taken from her.

Kai groaned almost inaudibly, the raised voices adding to the flaring pain in his head. Rubbing at his temples slightly, he moved away from the arguing trio. Kiyoko nodded towards Spencer who turned on the spot and followed the petite Russian teen down the hallway towards the kitchen. Casting a furtive glance towards Tala, Bryan and Hilary, she was somewhat annoyed that they hadn't noticed Kai and Spencer's departure from the room. Shaking her head and sighing, she quickly set off after the two retreating figures, worry gnawing away at her.

Upon entering the kitchen, she frowned, watching as Spencer tried to coax a shaky Kai into a chair and offering him a glass of water. Striding forward, she placed a cool hand on Kai's forehead. "Kai …"

Kai looked up at her, a small smile of reassurance dancing on his lips. "I'm fine, 'Yoko … just a headache." He tore his gaze away from her when Spencer placed a glass of water in front of him. Nodding gratefully to the concerned blond, Kai picked it up, his hand shaking before placing it to his lips and draining the glass in one go. "Thanks, Spenc."

Spencer swallowed and then nodded, eyes trained on Kai's form anxiously. "No problem."

Worrying fretfully at her bottom lip, Kiyoko let her hand fall to Kai's shoulder, capturing the younger boy's attention. "You don't look too well … maybe you should go back to bed. We can do the whole wedding thing some other time when you're feeling better."

Kai shook his head, "No … I can't do that. I can't let you girls down."

"Kai, you're not well," Kiyoko said, stressing her last word, exasperation clear on her face.

"She's right, Kai. You really don't look too good … have you lost weight?" Spencer intoned, head cocked to the side in question.

Fear flaring up within him, Kai stood automatically, wanting to get away from the questions, from the concern. His sudden movement surprised Kiyoko, who gasped, stumbling back as Kai pushed past her unsteadily, a hand flying to his head. "Kai!"

Kai's next few steps faltered and he swayed slightly, prompting Spencer to rush forward, heart pounding wildly in fear. Free arm reaching out to the wall, Kai's legs collapsed beneath him and he crumpled brokenly to the ground, barely a gasp escaping him as he fell. Spencer managed to leap forward at the last second and cushion Kai's head with his hands before it hit the hard tiled floor. "KAI!"

Kiyoko shrieked, scrambling towards the two fallen teens and flipping Kai on to his back gently, hand flying up to his neck to locate a pulse. Upon finding a strong steady pulse, Kiyoko released a breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding, her heart beating sporadically in her chest. The commotion sent Tala, Bryan and Hilary hurtling through the kitchen door, their eyes frantically searching for Kai.

As soon as Tala's worried gaze landed on his petite lover, he dove forward and gathered the teen into his arms, cradling him close to his chest, searching eyes flickering over his face. "Kai! What happened to him?" His eyes immediately met Kiyoko's who sat shivering on the floor, arms abandoned by her sides uselessly.

"I … I don't know. He said he had a headache … and then when he stood up … he just, he just collapsed." Kiyoko said, stuttering, evidently trying to get her head around the situation.

"What does that mean? What caused it?"

Kiyoko shook her head. "I don't know … I-"

The nurse was interrupted as Kai groaned, crimson eyes fluttering open slowly. He raised a hand to his head, his eyesight blurry and wavering in front of him. It took him a few seconds to realise that he was in Tala's arms, who was kneeling on the kitchen floor, Bryan, Spencer, Kiyoko and Hilary peering at him apprehensively close by. "What happened?" He groaned again, his head pounding relentlessly, pain spiking through his skull.

"Kai! Kai, baby, what's wrong? Kai?!" Tala asked frantically,

"My head … it hurts …" Kai managed to gasp out, both of his hands clutching at his hair tightly, trying to relieve the pain there.

Gasping, Kiyoko surged forwards and gently pried Kai's hands away from his head. "Kai … open your eyes." With great difficulty, Kai managed to pry his eyes open that he had squeezed shut in pain. Crimson eyes were hazy and slightly glazed over. "Now tell me … what's happened? Has anything happened to you lately?"

Swallowing thickly through the pain coursing through his head, Kai nodded, knowing now was the time to come clean. "… Insomnia …"

"Insomnia?" Tala muttered worriedly, remembering the last time Kai had told him he was suffering from the sleeping disorder. "How long?"

Clenching pain-filled eyes shut, Kai murmured quietly. "Two weeks …"

Kiyoko shot Tala a worried look, "It shouldn't be affecting him this badly …" Eyes fixed once more on Kai's face, she released his hands gently, "Ok, Kai. I'm gonna call Doctor Carlisle. I need to tell him about this and get you some medication …" Without waiting for a response, she stood up and beckoned Bryan forward, who had gone deathly pale at the sight of Kai writing in pain. "Bryan, I need you to go to the hospital and retrieve the medication. It should be ready by the time you get there."

Bryan nodded stiffly, dragging his eyes away from Kai's prone body and running out of the kitchen. Kiyoko turned to Hilary, who had a hand to her mouth, eyes wide in fear. "Hil, I need you to calm down, ok?" Kiyoko's voice shook even as she said this, her worry and fear getting the best of her, "I need you to go and get groceries, ok."

Hilary shook her head in protest, but Kiyoko shot her a warning look, "Please, Hil. It's to help calm you down." Unable to argue further, Hilary finally turned tail and fled the kitchen.

A large hand landed on her shoulder and she gazed up into piercing green eyes. "You need to calm down as well. Go and call the doctor and I'll stay to look after Kai and Tala."

Kiyoko sighed gratefully, casting one last worried look towards Kai and Tala before heading off to find the phone.

Fretfully, Tala brushed the back off his hand over Kai's face, wanting nothing more than to take the pain away. "Baby, why didn't you tell us?"

Kai smiled weakly, reaching up to grasp a hold of Tala's hand. "Didn't want you … to worry …"

"Kai …" The hand holding his suddenly let go, as Kai's body began to shiver violently, crimson eyes wide as a pained gasp left the younger teen's throat. "KAI!" Desperately, Tala clung to Kai's lithe frame, tears trailing down his cheeks as an anguished scream ripped its way out of Kai's lips. "KAI! KAI!"

Spencer felt his pupils dilate as he took in the scene in front of him and for the first time, he couldn't react. It was only when Tala started yelling Kai's name hysterically did he regain control of his body, "KIYOKO! KIYOKO HELP!"

Wide, pained crimson eyes shifted to Tala's face frantically, before sliding shut, "Tala …"

"KAI!"

x.x.x.x.x

_Blinking lethargically, Kai opened his eyes fully, crimson eyes narrowing in the darkness that swirled around him, surrounding his frail form and obscured everything from sight. It was endless and suffocating, and only he, seemed to be floating in its expanse. A shiver ran through his body as he lifted his hand up to his face - he was glowing with a dim fiery light.. "What's going on?"_

_Immediately, his voice shot back at him from all angles of this vast darkness, pounding into him with such intensity that he cried out, trying to block his ears as pain washed through him. It finally faded after a _

_few minutes and Kai shuddered, for in its place was a cold blistering wind that wrapped around his slim frame, freezing his skin and almost freezing the blood that coursed through his veins. A whimper escaped his throat as fear started burrowing its way into his heart and mind._

_"What's happening?" he whispered this, not wanting a repeat of what had happened the last time._

_His body trembled, the cold seeping out of him slowly, unexplainably, and he hugged his arms to his chest, gazing around his desolate surroundings in hopes of seeing something. When something cold touched his shoulder, he whipped around in that direction, eyes wide with a wild fear, but what he saw made his mouth drop open in shock, his eyes barely registering a sight he had know he would never see again in his life._

_"Rei?"  
_

_The image of Rei nodded, figure illuminated in a slightly surreal light that pulsed golden. Silky raven hair was left unbound and floated gently behind him, piercing amber eyes alert and staring at Kai intently. "Hello my friend."_

_Frowning, his heart swelling, Kai reached out, wanting to believe, to prove that this apparition was real ... that Rei was real. A shudder ran through his body as his hand passed straight through the deceased teen. He pulled back his hand sharply, alarmed. A soft, melancholy smile flitted across the Chinese teen's lips as he shook his head. "No Kai. I'm dead ... and there's nothing that can bring me back ..."_

_The words startled Kai as sudden realisation dawned on him. "Am I ..."_

_"Dead?" Rei shook his head slowly, his eyes never leaving Kai's face. "No ... you're not Kai. You're still alive ... but right now, you're here."_

_"Here?"_

_"Here ... in this dimension, where nothing but darkness exists ..."_

_"But why? Why are you here?" everything was becoming extremely hard to comprehend, more so than when he had first opened his eyes to this ... place. He couldn't even remember how he had gotten here ..._

_Rei shrugged, "I don't know ... I don't even know where I was before you came ..."_

_"Rei!" Kai's voice held a touch of hysteria as Rei's image dimmed slightly, slowly disappearing from sight, blending into the deep blackness of the consuming darkness._

_Rei look startled, glancing down at his hands in mild surprise, before turning his gaze back towards Kai. "I guess it's time for me to go ..."_

_"Go where? Rei what's going on?" Kai wanted to reach forward and grab a hold of Rei. He didn't want to be left alone. Not here. But he knew it would be futile; he had already tried once. Instead he clenched his hands by his side. "Rei? Please ... what's going on?"_

_Rei shook his head, confusion flitting across his tan features, "I don't know ... I don't ... has something happened?" Rei's voice was becoming quieter, just as his image was becoming fainter, nothing but a mere shimmer of white and gold in a sea of black darkness. "... you're disappearing too, Kai ..."_

_Kai looked down at his hands to see that he too, was fading away. Panic gripped at his chest. "Where ..."_

_A soft bitter smile touched Rei's lips. "Back to Tala I suppose ..."_

_Hot tears stung Kai's eyes, "Rei ..."_

_"I love you, Kai ..." with that final whispered farewell, the last of Rei faded into nothing, his soft voice echoing slighting in the darkness that was still engulfing Kai's fading form. _

_"Rei ..."_

x.x.x.x.x

Tala ran a hand over his face and sighed, the other gently running through silken strands of silver and royal blue tenderly. His face was pinched with worry as he shifted about on the bed, worried blue eyes never once leaving Kai's face.

Kai had fallen unconscious in his arms, shivering violently with tears trailing down his cheeks, skin flushed and almost unbearably hot. Kiyoko, startled, had dropped the phone and come running, stricken, with the order that Kai be moved to his bed. Unable to hold the shuddering teen without crying, Spencer had taken Kai out of Tala's arms and ran up to the bedroom, Tala following closely behind while Kiyoko ran to get a bucket and a cloth.

As soon as Spencer had placed the teen down on the bed, Kai had screamed and turned deathly pale, body wracked with shivers, his skin frozen to the touch. Tala had become hysterical at that point, fearing the worst as Kai cried out unconsciously, only to still afterwards. By the time Kiyoko had arrived, colour had seeped back into Kai's skin as his breathing had returned to normal, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

Tala took a shuddering breath and shook his head, banishing the thoughts from his mind. Those few agonising minutes had been yet another reminder of how close he had been to losing Kai over the last few months, and it hurt. He was afraid that the next time ... he shook his head again, violently, and peered down at Kai's face, a solemn smile barely lifting the sides of his lips.

"What am I gonna do with you, eh?" he leant down and kissed Kai's brow tenderly, brushing his bangs away from his forehead.

Kai mumbled in his sleep, eyebrows knitting down into a frown. "Rei ..."

Tala pulled back, confused. "Kai? Baby wake up ..." He shook Kai gently, confusion and worry tugging at his heart. "Baby ..."

Eyelids fluttered slightly, before opening and revealing clouded crimson eyes. "Rei?"

Tala shook his head, a frown marring his features, and took Kai's hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over the back soothingly, "No, baby. It's me ... Tala."

Clouded eyes cleared suddenly and Kai gasped, his chest heaving. "Tala!" With a choked sob, Kai sat up and looped his arms around the red-head's neck tightly. "I saw Rei ... I saw him ..."

* * *

Haha! I love messing with them!! _-grins evilly-_ And things can only get worse from here on in. xD -_ducks a flying spork- _Gah!

Review?


	11. Doubts

Hello my dears!!

Many thanks for the reviews. xD

_-grins evilly_- Yes, that grin doesn't bode well for our beloved characters, but you guys tend to love it anyway!! Hehe. It's because of the request to keep messing about with them that I decided to change things about a bit (well compared to the original chapter), and although this chapter is quite short, I find that it fits its purpose. And to boot, I'm extremely happy with the way it came out!! _-squeals-_

So without further ado: Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Eleven – Doubts

_Clouded eyes cleared suddenly and Kai gasped, his chest heaving. "Tala!" With a choked sob, Kai sat up and looped his arms around the red-head's neck tightly. "I saw Rei ... I saw him ..."_

Tala's long arms automatically came up to wrap themselves around the boy latched on to him tightly, slight tremors coursing through the petite body. His eyes had widened as he had taken in the words, disbelief painting his features. He shook his head slightly after a moment, pressing his cheek in into the silky strands of Kai's hair. "Shh ... it's okay ... it's okay, baby, I'm here. It was only a dream ..."

Kai stiffened in his hold suddenly, his breathing hitching in his throat. He pulled back from the warm comfort, confusion flitting across his pale features. "No ... Tala it wasn't a dream ... it wasn't a dream! He was there. He was ... he was _here_. I know he was! He came to me, Tala! He came to me, and he told me he ..." Kai's voice broke off as he became slightly hysterical, his eyes flickering wildly from side to side as he desperately searched Tala's face.

Hands cupped his cheeks gently, yet firmly. "Shh ... it's okay, baby. It's ok."

Kai shook his head and pulled back once again, his smaller hands grasping Tala's tightly. "No. You don't _understand_." The dual-haired teen trembled, doubt flitting through his mind. "He was here ... wasn't he? … Tala, I know he was!"

Tala felt his heartbeat quicken as he took in Kai's distressed appearance and automatically pulled the smaller teen to his chest protectively. The other boy went limp in his arms almost immediately, face buried in the crook of the red-head's neck, shudders wracking his body every few seconds, lips moving wordlessly.

Silence reigned between them for a few moments, one desperately clinging to a lifeline - to sanity, the other being that lifeline and clinging to the only survivor.

"I couldn't save him Tala ... I _tried_ ... but I couldn't save him," Kai's voice was muffled by Tala's shirt.

Frowning, Tala pulled back slightly so that he could gaze into lost, remorseful ruby eyes. "Hey ... don't do that to yourself, baby. There was nothing you could've done ... ok? Don't blame yourself - don't you ever blame yourself!" He shook his head resolutely, tears springing to his mind at the mere thought that Kai was blaming himself for something that was never in his hands in the first place; something that he could never have controlled. "It's not your fault this happened. None of this is your fault. If you knew it was gonna happen, then you would've done something, but you didn't know ... so it's not your fault ..."

"But that's just it, Tal ... I should've anticipated it ... I should've known it was going to happen ... I should've _known_! I should've stopped him ..." Kai's voice broke with the emotion he was forcing to keep suppressed. He didn't want to cry. "I should've been the one he shot ... I should be the one dea-"

Tala snarled and pulled back abruptly, grabbing the smaller teen by the shoulders and shaking him harshly. "No! Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare say that Kai! Don't!"

Kai turned his head away, tears welling up within his eyes, threatening to fall much. He couldn't bear to look at his fiancé. He couldn't bear to see the accusation he knew was lurking there somewhere in the eyes he had grown to love. Deep down, he felt that Tala blamed him for Rei's death. How could one not? He had stood there stupidly, refusing to move, and because of it, one of his closest friends was dead. Lee had lost the person he loved and Bryan had lost his chance of happiness as well. "Tala ... I don't deserve to be here when he's not ..." Kai bit his lip, "I ruined Bryan's chances of happiness ... I'm responsible for Rei's death, I'-"

Tala's body sagged at the defeat in Kai's voice, the guilt. His arms went limp by his side, and his hands dropped off of Kai's shoulders. "Kai ..."

Kai shivered from the lack of warmth that he had become accustomed to. The arms that had always held him, comforted him and offered him all the support he craved had gone. They no longer clung to him, no longer held him - and in Kai's mind he felt that Tala was agreeing to what he had just said. He was being pushed away, and it was his entire fault. "I'm sorry Tal ..." a single tear trickled over the edge and made its way down a pale cheek. It was quickly dashed away though, Kai refusing to show his tears, especially now, especially in front of the one person who had managed to capture his heart and keep it safe ... until this very moment that is. "I'm sorry ..."

Tala frowned in confusion. He didn't understand. What was going on? Why was Kai apologising? Everything was just spiralling out of control ...

"I should go ..."

Tala's head snapped up at those three words, his heart clenching painfully, "What?"

"I can't do this anymore ..." Kai swallowed the huge lump in his throat as he shuffled back slightly.

Shaking his head in denial, Tala reached out for his smaller other, only to have him flinch and shy away from his touch. He froze in his place, one arm suspended in mid-air, his eyes wide and disbelieving as he gazed at the petite teen. He had never been denied an embrace by the other teen. "... Kai ...?"

Kai gnawed at his bottom lip, shuffling back slowly towards the edge of the bed. Once his hands had reached bare air, he shifted around, gently stepping off of the bed, his eyes red rimmed and his body shaking with suppressed emotion. He refused to look towards Tala, who remained frozen in position.

"… I can't be … I can't be here, I can't be with you …"

Tala snapped out of his shock, shaking his head furiously against Kai's words. His heart was beating triple time in his chest as he whispered harshly, desperately, almost brokenly. "No ... Kai don't do this ... don't leave me, you can't!"

Kai's hand flew up to his mouth at Tala's words, though his back remained to the other. "I don't ... I don't know what to do ..." He gazed at the door longingly, and then whispered almost to himself: "What should I do?"

"Stay with me ..." Kai hadn't been expecting Tala's whispered reply, and jumped slightly, turning his head to gaze into molten pools of pale blue.

"Stay?" Kai swallowed, his eyes darting around the room. "But you ... you blame me ..."

Tala looked startled, "Blame you?" And that's when everything clicked into place in Tala's mind, a soft melancholy smile, touching his lips as he rose from his position on the bed. He had to mask the hurt that threatened to consume him when Kai moved away. "Kai, I don't blame you for his death ... how could I?"

Kai let out a simpering whine. "But you do ..."

Tala shook his head, stepping towards Kai who backed away towards the wall. "I don't blame you because ... because you saved my life."

Kai's form trembled as his back hit the wall and Tala continued to move towards him. "No ... you're just saying it ..."

Tala shook his head determinedly, having finally reached Kai. Raising his arms, he pressed them to the wall on either side of Kai's head, trapping him. "No ... I'm not ..."

Doubt still flitted through Kai's mind wildly. He felt so confused and he had no idea what to do. His heart ached to just accept what Tala was saying and stay with him, but his mind argued that things weren't as they seemed. "... I can't ... Tala, I can't. I can't stay ... I need to ... I need to get away. I need to get away from here …"

"I'm not going to let you go, Kai."

"I have to ... please ... Tala, just let me go ..."

Tala blinked back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him at the desperation, the fear, the panic and the uncertainty lacing Kai's voice. "Kai ... do you love me?"

"... Let me go. Tala, please ..."

"Do. You. Love. Me?"

Kai shook his head and covered his ears – he didn't want to hear the pain in Tala's voice. He wanted to get out. He _needed_ to get out. "Please, Tala ... I need to get away ... I need t-"

"Kai ... _do you love me?_" Tala closed his eyes, unable to gaze into Kai's stricken face.

"I have to go … please, Tala … let me go …"

"Damnit Kai! Do you love me?!" One of Tala's hands had pulled back and shot back unexpectedly, embedding itself in the wall beside Kai's head. The smaller teen flinched involuntarily in shock, eyes wide, hands falling to his sides.

Tala was shaking, his whole body trembling as pain spread like wildfire up his arm, but it couldn't compare to the pain in his heart – the deep clenching pain that felt as though his heart were being torn to shreds. He opened his eyes and took in deep, calming breaths. He couldn't lose it. He just couldn't. Not when his life and heart was on the line. There was too much at stake here.

"Kai ... you can't do this ... after everything we've been through, after everything that's happened. You can't leave me ..."

Blinking back tears at the raw emotion on his fiancé's face, Kai felt his heart break - he had caused this. He backed down slowly, slipping out from under Tala's arms. "I'm sorry ... I need some time to think this through ... think everything through ..."

Tala lifted his uninjured hand and covered his face for a moment before pulling back and staring down at Kai, blue eyes wide and so expressive – lost and desperate … confused. "No … Kai, please ... I'm _begging_ you. Don't leave me. I _need_ you. I need you _so_ much." He took a step towards Kai, who had frozen where he was, unable to tear his eyes away from the pain and hurt flashing at him from Tala's eyes, drawing him in and leaving him paralysed. "I'll even get down on my knees and beg if I have to ... I'll do anything to keep you here. _Anything._" 

Falling to his knees in front of Kai, he grabbed his head in his hands. "Just please, Kai ... _please_, don't go. I love you. I love you more than anything … just … just. don't. go." One hand reached out to latch on to Kai's legs and then Tala was pulling himself forwards, hugging Kai's legs with a harsh sob.

Kai could feel his mind wavering, his heart crying out to him. Crying out to him to comfort Tala – to comfort the one that owned him heart, body and soul. "Tala …?" Tala raised his head, blue eyes darkened in anguish and tear tracks fresh on pale cheeks. "Tala …" Bending down, Kai cupped Tala's cheeks in his hands, tenderly wiping away the tears, darkened blue locking with sparkling crimson. "I'm sorry … I'm _so_ sorry …"

Hands reached up to cover Kai's gently. "No, Kai. Don't apologise. Just … please … stay. I need you here." Tala placed one hand over his heart. "I need you in my life … cos you're the only one I can be completely open around ... the only one to have accepted and loved me, captured my heart and treasured it ... the only one I want to be with until the day I die, the only one I would die for without a split second hesitation ... I want you by my side forever ..." All of Tala's emotions, his fear, his love, his passion, everything seeped out through his words. "I love you ... I love you so much it hurts ..."

Tala lowered his eyes, "… don't leave me."

Kai remained silent, an inner conflict waging between his heart and his mind. He shifted his eyes downwards, eyebrows drawn into a frown. Tala waited patiently, his heart pounding in his ears, knowing that Kai's decision would either make or break him.

It seemed like an eternity when Kai finally spoke. "… I love you, Tal … always have, and always will …"

Tala's eyes flickered up in surprise, hope surging through him, "Are you …"

Kai raised his head and allowed his eyes to meet Tala's, a deeply unsettle frown on his face. Tala felt his heart plummet at the look, his hope being painfully dashed away. "No." Kai shook his head slightly.

"… W-what …?" Tala couldn't mask the hurt and surprise in his voice even if he tried. His eyes flickered frantically over Kai's features. The younger boy looked on the verge of crying again, crimson eyes shimmering and wide. "You're not staying?" His voice barely rose above a whisper, and the tone in his voice made him sound so incredibly young and petrified – like a child about to be ripped away from their mother.

Feeling his heart clench, Kai withdrew his hands from Tala's face, with little resistance as Tala continued to gaze at him brokenly, every emotion dancing in his darkened blue eyes. He tore his gaze away from Tala's face, his heart screaming at him to make everything right, to banish the doubts from his mind, whilst his mind raged on, telling him to run, to leave and get away from the lies and the accusations. "No … I'm not staying … I-" Kai bit back a sob, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as his chest heaved.

He forced himself to take a deep calming breath, but didn't finish his sentence. Instead he rose slowly, refusing to look at Tala who remained kneeling on the floor, gazing downwards. He swallowed thickly. He was so confused. This was the right thing to do wasn't it? Tala doubted him … right? Ignoring the questions that his heart was demanding he answer, Kai reached out behind him, his hand finding the smooth surface of the door knob, and twisted. The door swung open slightly and Kai backed out a bit, his heart and mind still warring as tears fell fresh from clouded crimson eyes. "I'm sorry … I love you …"

Tala didn't look up. He couldn't. Not with the sound of his heart breaking in his ears. Not with the tears that cascaded down his cheeks as he struggled to stifle his sobs. Not with the pain in his soul that threatened to consume him whole.

When he did finally look up, Kai was gone, and all that remained was a glint of gold hanging off the door knob of the door which remained slightly ajar. Though his body felt like lead, he forced himself to move. Placing shaking hands on the floor, he pushed up and stood slowly, almost collapsing against the wall with emotional turmoil. Steadying himself, he found his gaze locked onto that glint of gold, not wanting to believe …

Taking a few steps forward, he reached out a hand and grasped onto it, gently pulling it over the door knob and away from the door with careful, nimble fingers. His hand shook as he brought it closer to himself. "No … please, no …"

But what he feared the most was now lying in the palm of his hand – a coil of delicate gold looping through a stunning golden ring with the most beautiful ruby encrusted in the middle: Kai's engagement ring …

* * *

Phew ... writing this took a lot out of me because of all the emotions involved. At a point I was quietly saying everything out loud and I found myself on the verge of tears ... _-is speechless-_

Review?


	12. Discoveries

Hello my dears!!

First off, I would like to thank each and every person who reviewed, and also those that took the time out to just read the last chapter. I know it's dreadfully cliché, but it means a lot to me. _-glomps all_-

**IMPORTANT:** To all of those who have been following this fic from the point I started last year, you will be now be able to review again!! I've finished re-writing all the chapters that I had originally posted, and I would love to hear from you guys again. x3

So without further ado: Chapter Twelve.

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Chapter Twelve – Discoveries

Lee sighed and stripped off the masking tape on the box of belongings in front of him, running a hand through his hair tiredly. It was the last of many boxes that he had taken back with him after he had left Japan over two weeks ago. As soon as he and his team, who were still bitter about his actions towards Kai, had arrived in their home village, he had purposely put off sorting through Rei's things, his pain still raw.

It was only after he had tripped over one of the boxes in his quaint little cabin did he realise that he had to get it over and done with before he wouldn't be able to face them at all. So for the past four days, he had been diligently sorting through Rei's possessions, placing various items in different piles to deal with later and chucking out any rubbish. He had mostly come across photo albums, kitchen equipment, clothes and other bits and bobs that Rei owned, and peeling back the top of this last box, he could only wonder what was inside.

Tossing the masking tape somewhere over his shoulder in the estimated direction of the rubbish pile, Lee peered into the box and felt his eyes widen. Everything inside seemed to hold some sort of sentimental value to his deceased friend. He gently lifted out a Chinese outfit that was years old, dating back to when the Bladebreakers had first formed and come together as one.

He fingered it carefully, remembering the day that Rei had left their village to pursue something better. He could still recall the anger he felt towards the raven haired youth for abandoning them and it shamed him. Blinking his eyes slowly, he shifted and placed the outfit in a new pile. He wanted to keep it. Treasure it. Regardless of how selfish that sounded, he need a part of Rei's past to be with him … the part that he hadn't been able to partake in.

He ran a hand over his face absently, not willing to dwell on his thoughts for too long lest he lose control. His hand fell to his side as he allowed his gaze to roam across the items still in the box. He reached out hesitantly, after a few seconds, and gently lifted up a small picture frame. The photo that greeted his eyes brought a small smile to his lips: it was a picture of them, Rei, Mariah, Kevin, Gary and himself when they were kids, barely seven or eight. It had been taken spur of the moment whilst they were in the middle of a snow ball fight, cheeks and noses red with bright smiles plastered across their cheery faces.

His smile turned melancholic the longer he stared at it, nostalgic memories of their childhood filtering into his mind. A deep pain welled up within him as he realised that all he _had _was memories now. The real Rei had gone. Biting the inside of his lip against his emotion, he forced out a sigh and placed the picture on top of the Chinese outfit without a second glance.

He dug through the rest of the items in the box meticulously for the next ten minutes, each time reminiscing on a part of his past, before shaking himself mentally and placing the items in whatever pile he saw fit. It was only when he got to the last item did he pause, hesitancy evident on his tanned face. His hand seemed to move of its own accord as it reached into the box only to retreat with a leather bound book. Bronze eyes studied it quietly for a few moments, an unsettling feeling tickling his senses. He knew that he had seen this book often over the last few years, but had never actually touched it, let alone been able to see it in Rei's possession …

… and holding it in his hand now, he felt strange, elated somewhat. For what he held in his hand was Rei's diary - solid proof of Rei's existence, of his thoughts and memories. His elation increased bit by bit the more he thought about it. This diary was a link between Rei and Lee – a connection to the deceased boy even in death.

Hands shaking, he slowly flipped the book over, studying it carefully, imagining in his head, Rei doing the same thing. He paused suddenly, doubt spiralling into his mind as he realised what he was eager to do: He was ready to infiltrate a private sanctuary … a private sanctuary that wasn't his … a private sanctuary that he had no right to see. His heart sinking at the thought, Lee sighed dejectedly and placed the diary on top of his growing personal pile.

He gazed at it intently for a few minutes, body completely and utterly still save for the barest rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He was drawn to it; anyone in his position would be. Would it really matter if he read just a few pages? Would it really betray the trust of his friend, his crush, who was now dead? Realistically speaking, there were no boundaries now. There would be no objections from the owner of the diary …

Reluctantly, he reached forward again and fingered the leather book delicately with one finger. His thoughts were primarily on the diary, pondering whether or not to just open it and read to his hearts content. For all he knew, he could stumble across something important. Just as he was about to reach out and open the diary, a loud growl echoed in his mind. He jumped, startled and scooted back away from the diary.

"… Galeon?" His bit-beast growled again in his mind, warning him against his actions, eyes flashing dangerously. Lowering his eyes, Lee felt a wave of shame consume him. "I'm sorry … I won't … I won't read it." The growl lowered to a deeply content purr and Lee almost chuckled, though he refrained from doing so, eyes straying dejectedly to the diary. He got up quickly, grabbing it in his ascent and stuffed in the drawer of his bed-side table. If he couldn't read it, then he knew he couldn't keep it in sight. A temptation like this could easily get the better of him.

A frown creased his forehead as he gazed at the shut drawer, unable to tear his eyes away. A heavy, abrupt knock managed to do the job seconds later, and he jumped, whipping around to stare at his door curiously.

He moved forward silently, and grabbed the handle in one hand before pulling it open. A petite pink haired girl stood on his door step, fidgeting slightly. Lee felt a warm wave of affection envelope him as he stared down at his sister. Her head tilted up and her eyes met his. She clasped her hands in front of her, wringing them slightly. "Lee …?"

He remained silent, just waiting for Mariah to say something.

"It's been ages since I've been able to look you in the eyes, let alone be around you for what you did … but I can't do that anymore," she paused, gazing at him intently, "You're my brother, and no matter what … you'll always be there for me, and it's just making things between us strained, and I _hate_ that."

Lee smiled, wordlessly pulling the short girl towards him and hugging her to his chest protectively. "Thank you, Mari'"

Mariah relaxed into his hold, easily admitting that she had missed this. She hadn't completely forgiven Lee for his misdeeds, but after distancing herself from him and having to endure guilty and lost expressions from him for three weeks, she had to cave in. They had always been close and doing this had only harmed their relationship. "I still think you're an idiot though."

Lee merely chuckled atop her head. "I know."

Gazing over his shoulder, Mariah found her eyes widening, a strand of pink hair tickling her nose as she turned to look at Lee, curiosity splayed across her clear features. "Are those Rei's things?"

Lee nodded, suddenly feeling awkward. He had known for a long time, in fact, everyone had known about Mariah's infatuation with Rei. It had lasted a good couple of years, and had started long before Lee had discovered his own feelings towards the other. The pink-haired girl had been extremely upset by the boy's death, but had taken it in good stride, explaining to Lee that she viewed Rei as another brother, her infatuation, having not been returned dimming down into brotherly love. Though even with this little bit of knowledge, Lee still felt somewhat awkward.

She allowed her eyes to ghost over the little piles. "Found anything interesting?"

Lee rolled his eyes and stepped back, letting the girl over the threshold. "Have a look yourself."

Golden eyes, so similar to Rei's, lit up, and Lee felt a pang in his chest. The girl immediately bounded past him and proceeded to make a mess of his neatly arranged piles. Shaking his head, bronze eyes lightening with fondness, Lee closed the door and watched Mariah sift through the items and objects curiously, little exclamations escaping her once in a while.

It took him a while to notice that these exclamations were becoming sparse and less jubilant in his haze of thoughts. When he finally raised his head, he realised that Mariah had tears cascading down her cheeks silently as she took hold of the photo that had touched Lee earlier on. Without a word, he stepped forward and gathered the shuddering girl into his arms – both wallowing in united grief.

x.x.x.x.x

Hilary let out a puff of air, frustration evident on her features as she gazed despondently at a book she had been trying, and failing, to read for the past couple of hours. It wasn't her fault that her thoughts kept straying to Kai. After all, ever since Kiyoko had diligently sent her off to buy groceries, she hadn't seen the other boy. She only knew that he was resting and that he had suffered from something strange, somehow linked to insomnia.

She bit her lip as she pondered this quietly. Kiyoko had said that Kai was suffering from insomnia … but Spencer had mentioned that Kai had suffered from it before, after he had escaped from the Abbey. The symptoms were the same, but the effects were completely different.

Ruby eyes gazed blankly down at the book as these thoughts whirled around in her head. She was worried. That much was obvious. But she had absolutely no idea what to do. She didn't want to go barging into Tala and Kai's room and demand to see Kai, because, though a sound idea, would probably result in a good smack across the head. She thought about going to talk to Spencer and Bryan, but the blond had holed himself up in his room and had refused to come out unless something important had happened, and Bryan … well Bryan had headed to the gym as soon as he had gotten back to release some of his pent up anger and anxiety.

Then that just left Kiyoko.

Humming, Hilary put the book down, ignoring the fact that she forgot to mark her page, because really, she hadn't been paying a single bit of attention. She stood up and stretched, absently rubbing her arm as she headed to her door. Swinging it open, she poked her head out and peered around. Finding that no one was there and that the house was virtually silent, she tip-toed over to Kiyoko's room. She rapped on the door softly, and upon hearing a soft 'Come in', slid into the room.

Kiyoko glanced up from her notebook when Hilary came in, her hand pausing in its writing. Offering the other girl a small smile, she carefully put her pen down and placed the notebook on her bedside table, motioning for the slightly younger girl to come closer.

Returning the smile somewhat weakly, Hilary walked further into the room and finally took a seat on the edge of Kiyoko's bed, swinging her legs up and crossing them. Kiyoko watched her for a few seconds, studying her face intently before sighing.

"You're worried about Kai?"

Hilary merely nodded.

"Me too." Kiyoko paused, eyes averted to her window. "I spoke with Doctor Carlisle a while ago, and he assures me that this was to be expected, what with all the stress he's been through …"

"But …"

"But what happened, and what Spencer told me doesn't add up. I don't know … I just feel like there's something else happening. Or maybe I'm just reading too far into it."

Hilary remained silent, her mind working suddenly, "I don't think it's anything more than we think it is."

Kiyoko frowned. "No?"

"No. Kai's … been through a lot, and mentally and emotionally … I don't think he's too stable, so maybe, just maybe, this is just something that is expected from someone like him."

Kiyoko hummed in thought, taking Hilary's words very seriously. After all, Hilary has known Kai for quite a while. She smiled softly, silver eyes turning to focus on the other girl. "You're probably right."

Hilary grinned. "Of course I'm right." The grin dimmed down to an uncertain smile as ruby eyes gazed upon the fretful nurse. "Hey … how about we listen to some music to pass the time … you know, distract us a bit."

Kiyoko bit her lip in contemplation before nodding, brightening up at the spontaneous idea. Hilary grinned and jumped up off of the bed and flounced off towards the little stereo by the window. Flicking it on, she shrieked happily and grabbed Kiyoko's arm, proceeding to force the girl into dancing to one of her favourite songs.

Spencer growled softly, burying his head further into his pillow, attempting to drown out the sudden music filtering through his bedroom wall. As soon as he had made sure that Kai was somewhat fine, he had isolated himself in his room, but soon got bored of mindlessly watching the door and fell asleep. Now, that sleep evaded him as he grabbed the pillow and stuffed it over his head.

The music wasn't loud, in fact, one could barely hear it, but the vibrations it coaxed out of the wall and the floor were enough to jolt Spencer out of his nap.

He rolled over after a few minutes, deciding that it was pointless trying to get back to sleep. Kicking off his blankets, he crossed his arms behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling intently, mind drifting.

He realised belatedly, that the music wasn't the only thing that had woken him up … something else was bothering him. Scrunching his eyes closed, he thought of what it could be, but after twenty minutes of thinking and no conclusion, he decided to give up. Shrugging broad shoulders, he yawned and stretched, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed until his feet touch the carpeted ground.

A harsh thump echoed lightly through his room, and Spencer froze, a frown touching his forehead. He quickly shrugged it off, putting it down to Hilary and Kiyoko. Stretching, he stepped over to his cupboard and took out a royal blue jumper. Pulling it over his head as he walked, he left his room and went downstairs, in dire need of a coffee fix.

Fluffing up dishevelled blond hair, Spencer found his gaze wondering over to the CCTV screen focused on their front door and back door. Noting that the coast was clear and that nothing was amiss, he proceeded over to the coffee machine and made himself a strong coffee.

He sighed contently once he had his coffee mug in his hands and peered into the dark concoction almost lovingly. Inhaling the sharp, bitter aroma, he brought the mug up to his lips and took a long drawn out sip. He relished the hot liquid running down his throat, eyes closing in bliss.

Spencer could openly admit it: he was a coffee addict. He could barely stand going through four hours of the day without a cup of it. If he did, he would get irritable and had a small tendency to growl, but he had learnt to be careful who he growled at – Kai had gotten so annoyed at one point that he threw a mug at his head … and then proceeded to apologise profusely with Bryan cackling like a mad man in the background.

Spencer chuckled to himself at the memory and opened his eyes. Lazily, green eyes flickered back over to the CCTV monitoring screen, and suddenly widened. A breathless gasp escaped his lips and the mug in his hands shattered under the grip of Spencer's clenched fist. Ignoring the small stabs of pain in his fist and the burning of coffee on his flesh, he fled the kitchen and raced towards the front door, hoping that he wasn't too late.

He almost tore the door open in his haste to get out and pounded down the driveway, eyes flickering wildly in all directions, but there was no one in sight. The road was clear and silent. Shaking his head and running a tense hand over his face, Spencer tried to calm his racing heart.

Maybe he had imagined it … maybe …

"No …" He knew that what he'd seen was real. There was no mistaking it. Eyebrows drew into a pained frown as he whipped back around and back towards the house.

Completely forgetting to close the front door, he raced down the hallway and up the stairs, breathing harsh and heavy in his panic. His feet stumbled to a hasty stop in front of Tala and Kai's room, the door of which was slightly open.

Swallowing the lump that had settled uncomfortably in his throat, he reached a large hand forward and gently pushed open the door. The wood barely creaked or made a sound as it swung open revealing a scene that almost froze the blood in his very veins. "… Tala …?"

Pained blue eyes rose slowly, tears still trailing from them and down pale cheeks. "… He's gone … he left me …"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Spencer backed away, his broad back hitting the wall as he slumped down it, gazing at Tala in shock, hurt flitting across his features. "No …"

Tala turned away, hands fisting the chain in his hand, his body trembling with the effort of suppressing the sobs that ached to come out. He wanted to scream, to pound his fists into the floor. He wanted to run, to hide. He wanted to die. He couldn't live without Kai … yet he had let the younger boy leave without a word, without an attempt at dragging him back. He had let his soul mate walk out and he hadn't followed …

His tears fell harder, dripping off his chin and falling into oblivion. "Kai …" His body ached, his head hurt and his heart was bleeding. "KAI!" His anguished scream split through the air piercingly, heart-breakingly as he buried his face in his hands and finally submitted to the sobs that tore at his throat. "KAI!"

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Dx My plot bunnies need shooting. xS _-sighs- _This chapter may not seem important, but I assure you it plays its part.

I'm afraid to say (though most wouldn't complain) that things WILL get worse soon enough.

But other than that ... did you guys enjoy the chapter?? Hmmm??

Review please!! _-bribes with a chibi Kai plushie-_


	13. Thoughts and Regrets

Haha! I'm finally back with a new chapter for this fic!! Yay me!! xD But I really am sorry for taking such a long time to update ... blame college, and choir and community service!! xD

Thanks go out to those who have stuck by me throughout this fic and reviewed! This is for you guys.

Enjoy!

**Warning(s):** Swearing.

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Chapter Thirteen – Thoughts and Regrets

Sitting huddled against a tree in a park not too far from the house, Kai desperately tried to calm the shudders and sobs that wracked his slight frame. His mind was a mess and his emotions were in turmoil. His heart literally ached as he cried into his arms, knees brought up to his chest. He was completely oblivious to the pitying glances sent his way by members of the public who passed by him, and honestly, he didn't care.

Thoughts whirled through his mind jaggedly, confusing him even more the more he tried to think about it. All he wanted was to fix everything, to run back to Tala and apologise, but his mind refused to give in to his wishes; refused to give in to his heart. Everything that had happened in the last half an hour just seemed too surreal to be reality, and he found it somewhat hard to get his head around. Never in his life did he picture a scenario in which he would actually leave Tala.

Tala …

The name alone brought a fresh wave of despair crashing over him, tears falling in torrents down porcelain cheeks. His hand went up to his neck to clutch at his necklace, but with a jolt, he remembered that he had taken it off. His arm shook as his fingers traced the area of skin that had become so accustomed to the soothing weight of the ring and necklace.

Releasing a shuddering sigh a few minutes later, he slumped against the tree trunk, legs splayed out in front of him and his arms clasped loosely in his lap. Tremors wracked his frame every once in a while as he gazed unseeingly out at the scene in front of him.

Flashes of Tala in tears kept assaulting his mind, guilt running rampant through his veins. He had never meant to hurt Tala. By leaving, by telling the other that it was over was meant to be a breakthrough. Tala wasn't meant to cry. He wasn't meant to beg Kai to stay. He was meant to sit there neutrally and agree with what Kai had said – that he blamed him for Rei's death. But where did everything go wrong? Why didn't Tala play his part dutifully? Could what he said have been true? Did he not blame Kai at all?

His heart fought valiantly against the dark despair in his mind, urging him to believe in the best; urging him to believe that Tala would never blame Kai for anything, that the other loved him too dearly to ever let him go.

Kai laughed bitterly at that thought. If Tala really did love him, wouldn't he have run after him? Wouldn't he have done anything to stop him from leaving?

Crimson eyes glanced up at the clear blue sky brokenly, feeling mocked by the perfection in the world around him whilst he remained perfectly imperfect. He watched two doves soaring elegantly through the sky, pristine bodies agile and smooth as they cut through the air in an endless, graceful dance with the other. The golden light of the sun struck their feathers, almost making them glow beautifully as they weaved their way across the sky before finally disappearing out of sight.

Sighing and lowering his eyes down to his hands, Kai allows his bangs to shroud the front of his face, eyebrows drawn down into a deep frown. The tears had stopped a while ago, though their pathway down Kai's cheeks remained visible. He pulled his legs in and crossed them, shuffling around to make himself comfortable. He knew he desperately needed to make sense of his thoughts, lest things get even worse.

He just wished he had never made Tala cry …

x.x.x.x.x

Tala sighed, cradling the cup of coffee between his hands absently, his heart and mind numb with grief as he sat perched at the edge of the sofa, ignoring Spencer's attempts to talk to him and find out exactly what happened. Around his neck rested Kai's necklace, the cool, heavy ring a somewhat comforting weight against his chest. After unwittingly breaking down into hysterics, Kiyoko and Hilary had rushed in, eyes wide and frightened as they took in the scene, panic gripping them when they found no sight of Kai.

It had taken Spencer a good ten minutes to calm them down and send them out to look for Kai, which they agreed to with hard determination reigning clear in their eyes. It had taken another fifteen for him to coax Tala out of the bedroom and down into the living room. By this point, Tala had finally gotten a hold of himself, sitting down passively when told to do so and nodding meekly when Spencer offered him a cup of coffee.

He just couldn't get his head around everything that had happened. Nothing was turning out the way he expected it to, and his expectations hadn't exactly been high to begin with what with everything that had happened in the Abbey. But the one thing he expected to stay constant was Kai. Kai was forever meant to be by his side. His soul mate. His lover. But he wasn't …

Tala's hands clenched around the mug tightly as the numbness slowly faded away, only to be replaced by an unbelievable surge of pain that stung through his body. Surprised at the sudden movement from the red head, Spencer quickly pulled the mug from Tala's hands and placed it on the table, his own still stinging from the liquid that had scalded his hands not long ago.

Blue eyes blinked in confusion, staring down at his empty hands that were being held gently by larger ones. Forehead creasing in a light frown, he looked up slowly, eyes locking with concerned green. "Hey …"

Tala smiled weakly at the concern shimmering in his friend's eyes and echoed his greeting quietly. "Hey."

Eyes darkened with concern and worry searched his face, "You wanna tell me what happened?"

Sighing, Tala leant back, gently tugging his hands free to fidget with the hem of his shirt, eyes downcast, away from the imploring eyes of the larger Russian teen. "… he … he thinks I blame him … no …" he paused, struggling to find the right words. Spencer patted his hand gently in understanding. "… he believes that we _all_ blame him … and … he left." Tala's hands stilled in his lap as he took in a deep shuddering breath to calm his racing heart. "There's nothing more to it."

Spencer's expression softened and he leant forward, arms raising to wrap around the lean frame, but Tala waved him away, his own arms hugging his upper body. "No, Spence … I don't need to be comforted … I don't deserve …" Tala's body trembled with emotion, anguish clearly visible within his eyes. "I let him run away … I let him _leave_."

x.x.x.x.x

Bryan took a long swig of water from his bottle, relishing in the cool liquid that coursed down his throat, cooling him from the inside. The flushed tone of his skin lightened as the cool evening wind washed over his frame. He felt relaxed and a lot calmer than he had a few hours ago, the intense workout at the gym banishing all the anger, fear and concern that swept through him. Sighing peacefully, he glanced around his beautiful surroundings, the calming ambiance of the park he was walking through soothing his troubled mind even more.

He was glad he had decided to take a detour through this park before he made his way back home, where he was sure resided four worried teenagers. It helped to get his thoughts in order before he returned to what could possibly be utter chaos … and Spencer had confiscated his bazooka before he had gone out.

A flash of blue and silver caught his eye and he paused mid-step, forehead wrinkling in a frown. "Kai …?" Eyes widening, Bryan took off at a fast jog towards where a figure sat curled up against a tree, shivering. His presence went by unnoticed until he was kneeling right in front of the trembling teenager. Reaching a hand out, Bryan could feel the calm that had held him in its arms fade away, only to be replaced by a dark wave of worry. "Kai?"

The boy's head snapped up, crimson eyes wide and bubbling with a passionate intensity, cheeks glistening with tears. "Bryan?!" Panic seared through him as he backed away from the hand that reached out to him. "No."

Stung by Kai's reaction, Bryan's hand dropped to his lap as he sat back on his hunches. "Kai … what's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm not going back!" Kai hissed, scrambling to stand even as his whole body shook.

Frowning, Bryan reeled back slightly, "Not going back ..? Kai what are you …"

Shaking his head wildly, Kai could feel his body shaking even as he tried desperately to calm down, his breath coming out in short, sharp bursts. Wide crimson eyes were fixated on Bryan's confused face, and as soon as the other boy tried to reach out for him again, he dodged to the side and took off into a shaky run, his body exhausted.

Startled, Bryan threw himself to the side as Kai ran past him, before realisation kicked in and he cursed loudly, worry coursing through his veins as he stood swiftly and gave chase to the smaller boy, wondering what the hell had happened in the last hour to cause such a petrified reaction from the boy who was meant to be resting in bed back home. "Kai!!"

Using his height and speed to his advantage, Bryan sped up quickly, steadily catching up to Kai's lithe form, and with a muttered apology, tackled the smaller boy to the ground, twisting slightly in mid-air to ensure that his arms took the full brunt of the fall, and that his body didn't crush the smaller one's.

Gasping in surprise, Kai latched onto Bryan's shirt, knuckles turning white as he fisted the material desperately, tears trailing down his cheeks slowly.

Concerned, Bryan leant back slightly, gaze flickering over Kai's features for any sign of pain, but upon finding none, pulled a hand back to gently brush back wayward strands of silver hair from the teary face, his heart wrenching at the helplessness shining in those passionate crimson eyes. "Kai … fluff ball what happened? Why are you out here in the park … ? You should be resting …"

Kai clenched his eyes shut and shook his head, dragging Bryan down and burying his face in the crook of his neck, "I'm sorry … 'm sorry Bry… I didn't mean to make him cry … I didn't …" Kai mumbled brokenly into Bryan's shirt, hugging the older boy to him. "I'm sorry …"

Biting his lip worriedly, Bryan swiftly rolled to the side and on to his back, bringing Kai to rest atop his chest, his strong arms wrapping protectively around the trembling teen. "Shh … it's ok. Just calm down and tell me what happened …"

A light frown touched Kai's features as he raised his head to gaze at Bryan's face, confusion evident in his features. "… you weren't there …?"

"Weren't where? … at the house?"

Kai nodded minutely, eyebrows drawn together.

Bryan shook his head slowly, bringing his hands up to wipe away the tears on Kai's cheeks, and then cupped his face, amazed at how big in comparison he was to his petite friend. "No … Kai what happened …? Did someone say something? Did –"

Blinking back the tears that suddenly threatened to fall once more, Kai shook his head, fingers flexing and tightening their hold on Bryan's shirt, which didn't go by unnoticed by the platinum haired teen, only acting as an incentive to fuel his worry and concern for the boy in his arms. "It's over … me and Tala, it's over …"

With a jolt, Bryan felt his heart stop, his eyes widening in shock and his mouth dropping open in a gasp. "What?!" Eyes flickering down the Kai's neck, he felt a cold hand seize him when he noted that the necklace was gone … it really was over. "Why …? What did he say?!"

Kai bit his lip and looked away, a single tear slowly trailing down his left cheek. "He didn't say anything … he's not to blame." Sniffing, Kai paused, refusing to look at Bryan. "I … I just couldn't take it anymore … I couldn't bear to see him … to see _you, _everyone … I just couldn't …"

Gently turning Kai to face him, Bryan shook his head. "Couldn't what … Kai? What did we do ..?"

"You blame me! You blame me for Rei's death! I know you do!!" With a shuddering gasp, Kai tore himself free of Bryan's hold and scrambled back on the floor. "I can see it every damn time you look at me! The blame, the contempt … you'd rather Rei be here and I agree!!" The tears were falling once more, delicate crystals tinged with sorrow. "… I should be dead …"

"NO!" the single word muttered with such determination and clarity shocked Kai, causing him to jump, eyes clashing with flaming silver. "Don't you dare! Don't you DARE!" Sitting up and grabbing Kai by the shoulders roughly, Bryan didn't even try to quench the tears that trailed down his cheeks. "How could you ever think that I'd want you dead?! How _could _you …!?!" Shaking the smaller teen, Bryan clenched his eyes shut and bowed his head. "Kai, you're my brother and I love you … I'd never want anything to happen to you! EVER! Your life means more to me than my own … because without you, without Tala, without Spencer … I wouldn't have a life worth living." With a pained growl, Bryan let go of Kai and turned away, broad shoulders shaking with his sobs.

Tentatively, Kai reached out a hand and gently lay it on Bryan's shoulder, wincing when the older boy tensed up. "Bry …?" When the platinum haired teen didn't shrug him off, he shuffled closer, his arms moving to wrap around his neck in a half embrace, face pressed against Bryan's back. "Bry … Bry, I'm sorry … please don't be mad at me … please ... please …"

The desperate childish pleading in Kai's voice broke down whatever resolve Bryan had before it could ever manifest itself as he turned in Kai's embrace to wrap his arms around the slim teen, pulling him close and placing a kiss to his forehead, just as he had done so many times when they were in the Abbey. "I'm not mad at Kai … I'm not." Kai clung tighter to Bryan at these words. "I promise …"

Burying his face in Kai's hair, Bryan felt calm filtering through his being until finally the tears stopped and the body held in his arms stopped trembling. Glancing up, he gazed at their surroundings, noting with surprise that the sun had already set. "… Let's go home …"

Nodding hesitantly, Kai pulled away, teeth worrying his bottom lip unconsciously before he offered a weak smile. "'k."

x.x.x.x.x

As soon as Kai had stepped foot inside the house, he was immediately set upon by a hysterical Hilary and Kiyoko who latched on to him, tears spilling down their cheeks as they checked him over for any injuries, babbling incoherently as they pulled him into a hug.

"We were so worried about you!" Hilary exclaimed, her voice muffled by Kai's shirt.

Kiyoko nodded in agreement, a petite hand brushing Kai's bangs away from his face, as he whispered an apology. "We spent ages looking for you … where were you?"

It was then that Bryan decided it was the best time to step in, placing a comforting hand on Kai's shoulder and pulling him back into his chest, hugging him from behind. "He was in the park …"

Spencer suddenly appeared in the hallway, and taking one look at Kai, rushed to embrace him, his voice thick and husky with emotion as he berated the petite teen for running off like that in his condition. "Kai, don't ever do that again, do you hear me!"

Kai nodded meekly, and returned the hug somewhat awkwardly, desperate to see the one person who his heart cried out for. "Where's Tala …?"

Spencer stiffened and pulled back abruptly, "He's … he's in your room … he won't come out."

Kai cast a look back towards Bryan, fear and rejection shining within his crimson eyes, before sighing and nodding, stepping out of Spencer's hold and patting his arm gently. "I need to go and talk to him …"

Spencer nodded in understanding, moving to the side to stand beside Hilary, Kiyoko and Bryan who watched Kai hesitantly making his way down the hallway and towards the living room. Glancing at each other nervously, they nodded and followed Kai's retreating figure.

Upon entering the living area, Kai froze, eyes landing on the figure reclining on one of the numerous sofas in the room. "… Tala …?"

"Kai." His name was uttered with such cold venom that Kai could feel his blood freezing in his veins.

Battling his urge to run away, Kai took a small step further into the room, one hand clasped over his heart as he tried to quell the tremors that wracked through his slim frame. "Tala … baby I'm sorry … I didn't mean to … i-"

"Shut up!"

Kai reeled back as if struck, his eyes wide. "Tala …?"

"Don't come near me!" Pale blue eyes flashed dangerously as Tala stood, his body tensed, his right hand tightening around something held in his grip. "You lying, cheating slut! Why the fuck did you come back?! I don't want you here you son of a bitch!"

"What?!" Kai was oblivious to the gasps that rang out behind him, his crimson eyes staring brokenly at the teenager in front of him. "What are you talking about …?!"

Tala paused, blue eyes narrowing before he broke out in bitter laughter, tears trailing down his cheeks slowly. "Oh, like you don't know, you whore!"

"Tala wha-"

"Stay out of this Bryan!!" Tala hissed ferally, advancing towards where Kai stood rooted to the spot, "This is between me and _him_!!" His left hand shot out and grabbed Kai around the neck, his long fingers squeezing tightly as he lifted the smaller teen up into the air, ignoring the petrified screams from Hilary and Kiyoko as Bryan and Spencer rushed forward.

Kai's hands flew up to his throat, grabbing Tala's hand, crimson eyes dilated in fear as they locked onto Tala's intense blue, which slowly darkened to a dark blue, realisation edging it's way in, until, with a gasp, Tala let go and stumbled back, watching as Kai fell to the floor, petite hands grasping a pale, delicate neck that had already begun to bruise.

The object in his hand fell to the floor as the red-haired teen turned and fled the room, a beep sounding seconds after he left: _"You have one new message: 'Hiwatari, it's Lee. I know what happened between you and Rei you dirty slut! Getting it off with him when Tala was barely dead … you disgust me.'"

* * *

_Mwahaha!! Eek! -_dodges flying objects-_ I'm sorry!!

Review?? T'is my birthyday!! xD


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